Winners of the 2007 South Carolina Envirothon
Columbia, SC, May 8, 2007 - The SC Envirothon Steering Committee announced the winner's of the 2007 SC Envirothon, which took place May 4th, 2007. The 1st place prize was earned by Spartanburg High's Team A. Spartanburg High's Team B came in 2nd, with the Strom Thurmond High School Future Farmer's of America (FFA) team coming in 3rd place. Spartanburg High's Team A was also the top scorer for this year's current topic, which was alternative energy. The 1st place team will travel to Geneva, New York, this July to compete in the 2007 Canon Envirothon, which will also spotlight alternative energy.
Twenty-five teams gathered at Clemson University's Sandhills Research and Education Center in Columbia, South Carolina, to illustrate their understanding of environmental knowledge in a hands-on problem solving competition. The Envirothon tests the students on topics such as soils, water resources, forestry, wildlife and current environmental issues.
South Carolina held its first Envirothon in 1997. High school teachers across the state are recognizing the value of the Envirothon as a means of strengthening the environmental awareness of young men and women, while still achieving the goals set forth by the State's curriculum standards. Comments and feedback from the participants and coaches indicates that the Envirothon experience is valuable. “The Envirothon is science in action and emphasizes real world problems,” said one team coach.
The competition involves a rotation through five different testing stations, including an oral presentation. Prior to the event, team members are provided a topic and asked to research the issues surrounding the subject matter. The day of the competition, teams have ten minutes to present their case on the topic before a panel of judges.
Students of the top three winning teams receive college scholarships (ranging from $100-$500), and the top three winning coaches also receive money for classroom materials. The 2007 winners are as follows: First - Spartanburg High Team #1, Second - Spartanburg High Team # 2, Third – Strom Thurmond High, Fourth – James Island Christian School.