The Newton North HS Envirothon team has once again won first place among 37 teams in the 28th annual statewide Envirothon competition, held last week on the shores of Quabbin Reservoir.  Team members each focused on specific categories of the competition, answering written questions and participating in hands-on activities at four eco-stations, and making a 15-minute presentation at the Current Issue station:

• Soils (1st Place):  Kavish Gandhi, Lucy Lu, Rudy Gelb-Bicknell
• Forestry (1st Place):  Kavish Gandhi, Rudy Gelb-Bicknell, Lucy Lu,
• Wildlife (1st Place):  Kaija Gahm, Iris Liao, Jessica Chen
• Water (3rd Place):  Bowen He, Amy Huang, Kirby Broderick
• Current Issue: Climate Change (3rd Place):  Kaija Gahm, Kavish Gandhi, Bowen He, Amy Huang, Iris Liao

Newton South HS fielded a team for this competition this year for the first time, winning 3rd place in Soils, 3rd place in the Current Issues presentation, and 5th place in Forestry.  Congratulations to both teams!

In the Current Issue presentation, both teams were charged with assessing the impact of climate change in the Newton community and recommending steps that the city and individuals should take to address the issue. The state chair of the Envirothon said,

These teams work hard getting to know their local ecosystems and how their communities depend on them. We test their scientific knowledge, but we also like to hear their stories about how they have gotten muddy, cold, and tired, and otherwise had fun and fallen in love with nature in their neighborhood. The best hope for the future comes from engaged, scientifically literate citizens who care about their communities and the environment.

For Newton North HS, this is the final year of competition for senior co-captains Kavish Gandhi and Kaija Gahm, as well as seniors Kirby Broderick and Rudy Gelb-Bicknell.  North Faculty advisor Anndy Dannenberg noted,

The students on this team are GREAT!  They worked collaboratively all year long, attended two all-day workshops conducted by the MA Envirothon Committee, and put in a final few days and late nights solidifying their excellent presentation. In addition, as part of their preparation, they worked closely with the Newton Solar Challenge organization — hosting a panel, conducting extensive interviews with Newton’s citizenry, and ultimately making a public-service video about the benefits, costs, and environmental impact of solar panel installation on homes. The Envirothon Field Station scientists and presentation judges were all impressed with the students’ knowledge, dedication, and poise. And the weather was the most cooperative in years, so our day on the shores of the Quabbin Reservoir was beautiful and conducive to environmental appreciation!