SC Hosts 2009 Kansas State Envirothon Competition

Eighteen high schools from around the state traveled to Southwestern College on Wednesday, May 13 for the 2009 Kansas Envirothon. The entire competition took place at the SC biology field station, north of Winfield.

The Kansas Envirothon is an outdoor, environmental high school competition where students learn and are tested on soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatics, and a current issue. The winner of the Kansas Envirothon will represent Kansas at the Canon Envirothon national competition.

“I think it is very exciting that many high schools around the state of Kansas are beginning to teach environmental care,” says Jason Speegle, director of Green Team Southwestern. “It is a vital part of our society, and teenagers and college students will be the ones to lead our country in a cultural shift toward environmental sustainability. Southwestern College and the Green Team are thrilled to be hosting the Kansas Envirothon this year and hope to be very involved with the event for years to come.”

The current issue for the 2009 Kansas competition is “Biodiversity in a Changing World.” Southwestern College professors Charles Hunter and Rick Cowlishaw educated the students in this current issue during their time at the SC biology field station.

Each county is allowed to send one team of five high school students to the state competition. Participating high schools and counties included: Hiawatha (Brown), Clay Center (Clay), Pittsburg (Crawford), Wilson (Ellsworth), Hill City (Graham), Holton (Jackson), Northern Heights (Lyon), Hillsboro (Marion), Valley Heights (Marshall), Council Grove (Morris), Centralia (Nemaha), Rock Creek (Pottawatomie), Riley County (Riley), Salina South (Saline), Linn (Washington), Neodesha (Wilson), and either Wathena or Troy High School (Doniphan).

The Canon Envirothon competition will be held Aug. 2-8 in Asheville, N.C.