A team from Stanley Middle School was the highest scoring public school team in the North Carolina Envirothon, a state environmental science competition.
Envirothon is coordinated by Soil and Water Conservation districts, and it's the largest environmental science competition in the world, said Erin Hines, Gaston County's environmental educator, in a meeting of the Gaston County Board of Commissioners.
The competition includes area level and state level competitions, and at the high school level, students can go on to an international competition, Hines said.
The competition includes teams from public, private, and charter schools, as well as homeschooled students.
Diana Baxter, a teacher at Stanley Middle School, started an envirothon club at the school three years ago, Hines said. As part of the club, students took field trips to ecologically important areas in the county and the state.
This year, the Stanley team was the highest scoring public school team in the state, and they won sixth place out of 49 state level middle school teams.
A member of the team, Jillian Schultheis, told the Board of Commissioners that the Envirothon consists of five topics: soils, aquatics, forestry, wildlife and current environmental issues. As part of their studies, they visited the Cradle of Forestry and Looking Glass Falls in Pisgah National Forest, as well as the Western North Carolina Nature Center.
"We got to see some of the animals on the wildlife list in person and see their unique features up close," she said.
Prudence Hammond, another member of the team, said in an interview that she hopes to compete next year when she is in high school.
"I thought it was fun. It's a good way to get outside and learn more about the world and how you can help and make things better for the environment," she said.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Stanley Middle School team achieves top scores in environmental competition
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