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Kiski Area High School Wins Westmoreland County Envirothon
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Seventeen teams of students from nine area high schools competed today in the 25th annual Westmoreland County Envirothon, sponsored by the Westmoreland Conservation District and held at Twin Lakes Park in Unity Township.
First place winners in this natural resources challenge were Kiski Area High School Team #1. This team consisted of Mike Clinger, Kaitlin Martin, Matt Miller, George Petree, and Patrick Wilkinson.
Second place winners were Yough Senior High School Team #1. This team consisted of Cody Stepinsky, AJ Cieply, Sam Greenawalt, Chris Bugler, and Austin Mencer.
Third place winners were Yough Senior High School Team #2. This team consisted of Ryan Smith, Kirk Brown, Corey Cook, Roman Viecelli, and Scott Ponitz.
The awards were presented at the conclusion of the event by Ted Kopas, Westmoreland Conservation District associate director and chief of staff with the Westmoreland County Commissioners.
Tracy Bash, systems analyst with the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County, also gave a short presentation to the students on where their water comes from and how the authority filters, stores, and distributes it to area homes.
In the Envirothon, teams of students in grades 9-12 are presented with a variety of challenges related to our natural resources. Students may be asked to measure a tree…analyze water from a stream…or examine soil to identify its characteristics.
Students work as a team to answer questions of fact, and use their critical thinking to find solutions to reality-based situations, such as how to balance the use and protection of our natural resources. Topics of the challenge include: forests, soil, wildlife, aquatic environments, and this year’s special issue which is protecting Pennsylvania's groundwater through urban, agricultural, and environmental planning.
Some 80 students participated in this year’s event.
In addition to Kiski Area and Yough Senior High School, the following schools also had student teams in the event: Burrell, Derry Area Senior, Greensburg Central Catholic, Greensburg Salem, Mount Pleasant, and Southmoreland high schools…as well as The Kiski School. All schools, with the exception of Greensburg Central Catholic, registered two teams.
Faculty advisors for the teams are: Amy McGrath, Burrell; Roy Campbell and Lisa Campbell, Derry Area Senior; George Janik, Greensburg Central Catholic; Angelo Ross, Greensburg Salem; Ralph Lemmon, Kiski Area; Nancy Wells, The Kiski School; BettyJo Breakiron, Mount Pleasant; Lindsay DiCasolo and Josh Pajak, Southmoreland; and Greg King, Yough.
Kiski Area High School Team #1, as the winning Westmoreland County team, will go on to compete against winning teams from other counties in the Pennsylvania State Envirothon on May 26 at the PPL Montour Preserve in Danville, Montour County, PA.
State winners move on to the ultimate challenge – a final national/international competition called the Canon Envirothon – that will be held at California State University in Fresno, California during the first full week of August.
In the previous 24 years of competition, Westmoreland County teams have gone on to win the state championship four times . . . placed among the top three teams in the state seven times . . . and competed nationally three times, placing sixth, fifth, and second.
A number of cooperating agencies assist the Westmoreland Conservation District in hosting the county Envirothon, including: The Game Commission, the DCNR Bureau of Forestry, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Department of Environmental Protection, Penn State Cooperative Extension Westmoreland County, and the Westmoreland County Bureau of Parks and Recreation.
Corporate contributors play a significant role in generously providing financial and in-kind support for this event. Special thanks for their support this year go to Kennametal Inc., Westmoreland County Parks & Recreation, the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County, and Ricky’s Classic Pizza.
For more information on Envirothons across Pennsylvania, visit the PA Envirothon website.
NewsClips: Clearfield Students Take Part In Envirothon
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5/10/2010 |
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