High school students dig into nature during 2022 Westmoreland County Envirothon

Chilly temperatures Thursday didn’t hold native excessive school students indoors during Westmoreland County’s 2022 Envirothon.

Students from eight districts gathered at Twin Lakes Park, east of Greensburg, to find out about forestry, wildlife, aquatics, soil and stable waste administration. Throughout the day, students rotated between six stations that supplied numerous forms of hands-on environmental expertise.

“(The Envirothon) gives the students a great appreciation for the environment and how we interact with that environment,” mentioned Greg King, biology instructor at Yough High School.

Teams accomplished a check at each station. When the occasion ended, Envirothon organizers from the Westmoreland Conservation District tallied every workforce’s scores.

One of Norwin High School’s groups in the end pulled off the win and can transfer on to the state Envirothon. Norwin additionally received final yr’s competitors.

Other taking part excessive faculties included: Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Greensburg Salem, Kiski Area, Mt. Pleasant, Southmoreland and Yough.

Amanda Anticole, a junior at Norwin, attended the occasion by her AP environmental science class. She mentioned the Envirothon supplied “real-life experience.”

“It definitely connects a lot of what we’re learning about in AP environmental,” Anticole mentioned.

Norwin senior William Baverso agreed, including the Envirothon supplied “a knowledge of what’s around us.”

Tony Quadro – the Westmoreland Conservation District assistant supervisor who began the Envirothon 38 years in the past – mentioned the competitors facet of the occasion provides students “incentive” to be taught concerning the setting.

“Overall, it helps the students who are interested in the environment learn a little bit more about each one of the topic areas,” Quadro mentioned. “Hopefully they become more environmentally aware adults.”

Last yr’s Envirothon came about just about because of the coronavirus pandemic. Interacting with the setting and folks in particular person is preferable to a distant format, mentioned Jen Novak, training coordinator with the Westmoreland Conservation District.

She hopes students took away life classes from this yr’s Envirothon.

“It’s all about stewardship,” Novak mentioned. “Everyone has a role in the stewardship of our natural resources, even if they don’t go into a career related to natural resources.”