On March 23, 17 Envirothon teams participated in the North Area Competition at the University of Mississippi Biological Field Station in Oxford.

Of the 17 teams, five teams qualified to compete in the Mississippi Envirothon State Contest in Raymond on May 6 with Oxford High School earning top honors.

Those representing OHS include Andrew Brown, Kayla Owens, Joanna Bu, Calendula Cheng and Raina Woolworth; alternates Sadie Pasco-Pranger and Savannah Hesidenue; and adviser Angela Whaley.

Oxford High School earned High Score Awards in the categories of Soils/Land Use, Wildlife, Forestry and Current Issue.

The Mississippi Envirothon, a program of the Mississippi Association of Conservation Districts, is a hands-on natural resource competition designed to challenge students in grades nine through 12 to explore the natural world around them, testing their knowledge in the categories of aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife and current issues. 

“Envirothon is an excellent program for high school students,” one student stated. “We are tested on our knowledge of the environment, but also get the chance to check out some vocational interests and have fun at the same time.”

Through local soil and water conservation districts, volunteers and resource personnel from state and federal natural resource agencies and organizations have been working with educators and sharing their environmental expertise to ready the teams for this competition.  Resource professionals were on hand to assist.