Rhode Island Envirothon Champs Place 11th at International Competition in Calgary, Canada
For the second year in a row, the Rhode Island State Champion Wheeler School Envirothon team–David Battle-Cardemil (Captain), Amelie Johnson, Peter Kennedy, Lucas Murphy, and Milin Jayaraman–competed in the NCF Envirothon International Championships – held July 20-26 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
As Upper School Environmental Science instructor and trip chaperone Bob Schmidt shares, “Led once again by their superstar head coach Lily Harding and with the support of the incomparable Peter Stetson, President of the RI Envirothon and RI liaison to the NCF Operating Committee, the team placed 11th overall (an impressive improvement over their 37th place finish last year) in a field of 51 total teams from across the U.S., Canada, and China. Congratulations to the team for representing Wheeler and the state of Rhode Island in an exemplary manner throughout the competition! And great news, the team and coach Harding plan to make another run for the nationals again next year!”
Throughout the week-long competition, students demonstrated their knowledge of soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, and wildlife management through written tests and interactive stations featuring Alberta’s natural resources. The teams were also tested on, prepared, and delivered oral presentations on this year’s current environmental issue, “Roots and Resiliency: Fostering Forest Stewardship in a Canopy of Change.”
Our Rhode Island team placed third in Wildlife, tied for third in Soils, tied for fourth in Forestry, tied for eighth in the current environmental issue presentation, and placed twelfth in Aquatics. A complete list of awards for all the teams can be found on the NCF-Envirothon website.
“Teams from all over the world immersed themselves in the wonders of our natural environment and created life-long memories,” said RI Envirothon President Stetson. “The activities were carefully designed to challenge students' intellect, creativity, and teamwork skills.”
The 5-student Wheeler Team was the winner of the 31st annual Rhode Island Envirothon competition held May 23rd at the YMCA in Warwick, RI. About 55 high school students from six Rhode Island communities competed this year.
“Envirothon is more than just a competition. 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.”
Visit the NCF-Envirothon website for the full list of winners. The 2026 NCF-Envirothon annual international competition will be held in Starkville, Mississippi, from July 19 - 25, where students will be tested on the topic, “Non-Point Source Pollution: It begins at home!”
RI Envirothon has been supported by NRCS in Rhode Island for over 30 years. For more information on NRCS programs and activities in the Ocean State, visit www.RI.nrcs.usda.gov.
