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Spruce Mountain High School Envirothon Team competes at North American Envirothon

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From left to right: Austin Gilboe, Amber Delaney, Liesel Krout, Jordan Daigle and William Brenner, while geocaching at Trent University to pass time before the big presentation at the
Spruce Mountain High School’s Envirothon Team, from left to right: Austin Gilboe, Amber Delaney, Liesel Krout, Jordan Daigle and William Brenner, take a break from the competition at the North American Envirothon held in Peterborough, Ontario, last week by geocaching at Trent University to pass the time before their big presentation. (Photos courtesy of Rob Taylor)
Spruce Mountain High School Envirothon Team member Amber Delaney competes during the
Spruce Mountain High School team member Amber Delaney competes at North American Envirothon held last week. (Rob Taylor photo)

JAY – Spruce Mountain High School’s Envirothon team competed at the 2016 NCF North American Envirothon held last week in Peterborough, Ontario.

The event, held from July 24 to July 29, was sponsored by the National Conservation Foundation (NCF). The team earned the right to represent Maine by winning the Envirothon State Championship on May 27 at Shawnee Peak in Bridgton.

The Spruce Mountain team consists of seniors Amber Delaney and Liesel Krout, juniors William Brenner and Austin Gilboe, and sophomore Jordan Daigle and is advised by Rob Taylor.

The NCF competition included 52 teams from the United States, Canadian provinces, and a first time international entry from China. Envirothon is North America’s largest environmental science competition, testing students in their understanding of natural resources issues in the areas of forestry, soils, water, and wildlife, as well as this year’s current issue invasive species.

“The amount of time and effort the kids put in for this event was impressive,” Taylor sad of his team’s efforts. “They began preparing for the Ontario event after winning the state championship and I estimate they met for over 150 combined hours with me in June and July, not including the time each spent studying individually. They had to learn about Ontario and its unique ecosystems and natural resources, as well as its history and culture.”

Taylor said the competition at the event was intense and winning teams in all test areas scored over 90 percent, with the exception of forestry, where the winner scored an 84 percent.

Spruce Mountain’s best score came in the area of wildlife, where they scored among the best with an impressive 90.5 percent. The team also scored a 77.5 percent in soils, a 74 percent in aquatics, a 71.5 percent in forestry, and a 64.5 percent in the current issue test on invasive species.

On July 27, all teams were provided with a problem scenario involving invasive silver carp in a local Ontario watershed. They were then sequestered for seven hours and had to produce a 20-minute presentation on their plan for dealing with carp and other invasive species in the watershed. On July 28, teams presented their plans to panels of expert judges.

Spruce Mountain High School team members,
Spruce Mountain High School’s Envirothon team members Austin Gilboe and Amber Delaney compete during the North American Envirothon held last week in Peterborough, Ontario. (Rob Taylor photo)

The Spruce Mountain plan included proposing the use of eDNA technology for early detection of the fish and the use of an innovative electro-fishing boat which they named “Carpe Carp” that utilizes modified Paupier nets for catching the jumping carp, among many other early detection, rapid response, and management strategies. Judges scored the presentation a 149.33 out of 200 and the team’s total score was a 527.33/700, placing them 28th out of the 52 teams at the competition.

The top three teams, which each won thousands of dollars in scholarships, exemplify the level of competition at the NCF Envirothon. The third place team was from California’s Pallisades Charter High School in Los Angeles, one of the most highly ranked high schools Los Angeles. The California team spent the entire week prior to the competition in Ontario, studying local environments and preparing to compete, and had a final score of 592/700. The second place team from Penncrest High School in Pennsylvania scored 630/700, is ranked among America’s Most Challenging High Schools, and the school has won prior North American Envirothon Championships. The winning team from the host province of Ontario scored 633.5/700 and is from the University of Toronto Schools that provides an alternative learning environment for students of exceptionally high academic ability out of the city’s nearly quarter million students.

“It was a great experience for our students from Maine to be able to compete with kids from all over North America and China,” Taylor said. “The team was able to learn a lot while in Ontario and personally witnessed the effects of invasive species like zebra mussels and Eurasian milfoil that we could not miss while swimming in the Ontonabee River right outside our dorm rooms at Trent University. We were among the smallest and most rural schools there and were competing among a large number of charter and magnet schools specifically dedicated to teaching science. I think the students learned not only a great deal about the environment, but a lot about themselves and what they can accomplish when the put their minds to it.”

The team would like to thank all of its sponsors who made this trip possible.

“We have a very supportive community with generous businesses and individuals who made our competition a reality,” Taylor said. Sponsors include: The Maine Association of Conservation Districts, RSU 73, Maurais and Son Plumbing and Heating, Hillop Collision, T and L Automotive, Darryl and Penny Brown, Spruce Mountain Pharmacy, Pallet One, DBA Isaacson Lumber, FAT Electric, Finley Funeral Home, Dr Roger Kay, Amvets Post No. 33, Sons of Amvets, William Beaker O.D., Cianbro, McAllister Accounting, Jarden Plastic Solutions, Androscoggin Bank, Hillside Sports Club, ReEnergy, and the Livermore Falls Water District.

Seniors Amber Delaney and Liesel Krout will be off to the University of Maine at Orono and the University of Maine at Farmington, respectively, this fall and will continue to learn about science and engineering.

“I will miss these two ladies enormously,” said Taylor, “they have made a great mark on the Envirothon tradition in our community.”

Underclassmen William Brenner, Austin Gilboe, and Jordan Daigle will return next year and are already planning to prepare for next season’s competition and the possible opportunity to represent Maine at the NCF Envirothon at Mt. St Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

For more information on Spruce Mountain High School Envirothon, visit our Facebook page here.

The Spruce Mountain High School
The Spruce Mountain High School Envirothon team members: William Brenner, Austin Gilboe, Jordan Daigle, Liesel Krout and Amber Delaney on a break from competition take in the view while geocaching at Trent University. (Rob Taylor photo)
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2 Comments

  1. Congratulation to the Spruce Mt High School Envirothon Team, coaches, parents, mentors and supporters! Earning 28th place out of 52 teams is impressive. Another outstanding program of interactive real world learning that Spruce Mountain can be proud of. These students will make our world better, thank you.

  2. Great job! Envirothon presents a challenge unlike any other and these individual clearly rose to that challenge. I love seeing Spruce Mountain students and alumni achieve new levels of success and I look forward to hearing more about the Envirothon team next school year!

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