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Rhode Island Envirothon Awards 2024 Champions!

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2024 Rhode Island Envirothon Champions - The Wheeler School Team 1 - pose with their teacher and NRCS State Conservationist, R. Phou Vongkhamdy.

Throughout the past school year, Rhode Island Envirothon students have attended hands-on workshops to inspire learning about our natural environment and instill an appreciation of nature and the delicate environmental balances that make life possible. 

Canoes stored next to Larkins Pond at Camp Hoffman Girl Scout Camp, South Kingstown, Rhode Island.

The students studied aquatics, forestry, soils and land use, wildlife, and researched an environmental issue in their communities and across the Ocean State. After this intensive training the students demonstrated their knowledge at the 30th annual Rhode Island Envirothon competition on Tuesday, May 21st, at Camp Hoffman in South Kingstown, RI.

Fourteen teams of about 70 Rhode Island students from six Rhode Island middle and high schools tested their knowledge of the Ocean State’s soils, forests, water, and wildlife as part of the competition. The school teams rotated through five stations where they answered written questions and engaged in hands-on activities including soil analysis, wildlife identification and habitat assessment, tree identification, and water quality testing.

At the last station, the Environmental Issue, they delivered 12-15-minute presentations on “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future” in their community to a panel of judges. Teams researched the Environmental Issue in their own community in preparation for their presentation. Each panel of judges included concerned citizens and environmental professionals from government agencies, non-profit organizations, academia and private industry. 

Students participating in this year's event represented Coventry High School, East Providence High School, Narragansett High School, St. Mary’s Academy Bay View in East Providence, The Greene School in West Greenwich, and The Wheeler School in Providence.

“The Envirothon is more than just a competition. Many team members have taken what they’ve learned about the environment and put it to work in their community. The program prepares the next generation for environmental stewardship,” said RI Envirothon Coordinator Paul Dolan. “Students use critical thinking and problem-solving skills to develop solutions to real-world environmental problems.”

Students use net to collect aquatic species samples during 2024 RI Envirothon at Camp Hoffman.

Overall Winners:

  1. The Wheeler School Team 1
  2. Coventry High School Team 1
  3. Narragansett High School Team 1

Aquatics:

  1. The Wheeler School Team 1
  2. The Greene School Team 1
  3. The Wheeler School Team 2

Forestry:

  1. The Wheeler School Team 1
  2. Narragansett High School Team 1
  3. The Greene School Team 1
Students evaluate and classify soils in a test pit for 2024 RI Envirothon at Camp Hoffman.

Soils:

  1. Coventry High School Team 1
  2. The Greene School Team 1
  3. The Wheeler School Team 1

Wildlife:

  1. Narragansett High School Team 1
  2. The Wheeler School Team 1
  3. The Wheeler School Team 2

Orals:

  1. The Wheeler School Team 2
  2. The Greene School Team 3
  3. Narragansett High School Team 1

Test:

  1. St. Mary’s Academy Bay View Team 1
  2. Coventry High School Team 1
  3. The Wheeler School Team 1

The overall winning team will represent Rhode Island in the International Envirothon Competition, to be held July 28-August 3, 2024, at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York.

The 2024 Rhode Island Envirothon is made possible through the contributions of partnering agencies and organizations, including financial support from: the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, AMICA, Environmental Business Council of New England, The Hammond Family, Society of Soil Scientists of Southern New England, Rhode Island Society of Environmental professionals, Senator Susan Sosnowski’s Office, Northern Rhode Island Conservation District, South Coast Wind, Smart Green Solar, Navigant Credit Union, and many other professional and environmental organizations. 

Volunteers and environmental professionals from state and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, higher education, and private industry served as event organizers, station volunteers, subject matter experts and judges.

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