DOVER – Charter School of Wilmington Team B is the winner of the 2016 Delaware Envirothon competition held April 28 at Brecknock Park in Camden, marking the school’s 17th win in the event’s 20-year history, including an unbroken winning streak since 2002. Charter’s Team A finished second and Middletown High School placed third in the Envirothon competition.
The 20 competing Envirothon teams worked hard all school year to prepare for the environmental challenge. Each team answered questions, reviewed specimens and took measurements in topics dealing with aquatic ecology, soils/land-use, wildlife, forestry, air quality and the current environmental issue of invasive species. Teams also had to give a five- to seven-minute oral presentation on a scenario on effectively managing the invasive species emerald ash borer, which attacks and kills native ash tree species in Delaware. After more than three hours of testing, Charter School of Wilmington Team B was crowned the 2016 state champion.
Each member of the winning team earned a $500 scholarship from the Delaware Envirothon, a $100 gift card and other prizes. The winning team will also receive an award plaque for their school. The second, third and fourth place teams received more than $1,670 in special team awards and cash prizes.
Prizes in the form of gift cards and ribbons were awarded to the top seven teams. The official results are as follows:
- First place: Charter School of Wilmington, Team B – Siddharth Gangrade, Allen Wang, Catherine Yu, Helen Xu and Connor Sweeney. Team advisors: Rose Lounsbury and Greg Darone
- Second place: Charter School of Wilmington, Team A – Gina Zhu, Janya Lennon, Silvana Alfieri, Alana Duke and Advaitha Anne. Team Advisors Rose Lounsbury and Greg Daron
- Third place: Middletown High School, Delaware “BAES” Team – Brandon Dawson, Ariana Gaston, Erin Fogarty, Josh Housler and Will Nylander. Team advisor:Jeff Billings
- Fourth place: Polytech High School, Cotyledons – Matthiew Erickson, Marie Medina, Kyrstal Mendez, Amanda Phillips and Zackary Hardy. Team advisors: Susan Wujtewicz and Sally Bowman
- Fifth place: Delaware Military Academy, Seahawks 3 – Ava Rice, Tajaii Furrowh, Andrew Malone, Emily Harvie and Greg Fraczkowski. Team advisors: Paul Long and Tammy Averell
- Sixth place: Charter School of Wilmington, Team C – John Garcia, Maitreyi, Erin Warren, AJ Yuan and Ashley Pennington. Team advisors: Rose Lounsbury and Greg Darone)
- Seventh place: Polytech High School, FFA Team – Wyatt Olivarez, Racquel Crego, Mikayla Jacobsen, Nicole Woods and Krista Anderson. Team advisors: Sue Wujtewicz and Sally Bowman
Since its inception, the Delaware Envirothon has awarded $52,500 in scholarships to 105 students. It is hosted by the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD), a voluntary, non-profit association that coordinates conservation efforts statewide to focus on natural resource issues identified by Delaware’s three local districts.
For more information about the Delaware Envirothon, please visit www.delawareenvirothon.org or contact Rick Mickowski at 302-832-3100, ext. 113.
Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902
Vol. 46, No. 157