LAUREL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WIN PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY
2024 ENVIROTHON COMPETITION!
BRANDYWINE, MD – The Prince George’s Soil Conservation District (PGSCD) is pleased to announce that Laurel High School won first-place honors in the 2024 Prince George’s County Envirothon Competition. Academy of Health Sciences at Prince George’s Community College came in second place. The Prince George’s Soil Conservation District and the William S. Schmidt Outdoor Education Center hosted the event at the Schmidt Center on April 24. Seventeen teams from eleven Prince George’s County high schools were tested in five categories: aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and this year’s fifth issue, “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future.” Participating high schools were Academy of Health Sciences at Prince George’s Community College, Bladensburg High School, Crossland High School, Dr. Henry Wise High School, Fairmont Heights High School, Frederick Douglas High School, Laurel High School, Non-Traditional North Program, Oxon Hill High School and Potomac High School.
“We are extremely proud of the students who competed in the 2024 Prince George’s County Envirothon competition. A special congratulations to the winning team from Laurel High School and to the runners-up from the Academy of Health Sciences,” said Steven E. Darcey, PGSCD’s District Manager. “This program wouldn’t have been a success without the hard work and dedication of the local Envirothon coordinators, resource specialists, coaches, and sponsors. We give heartfelt thanks to everyone involved. Now, let’s go win the Maryland State Envirothon!”
The event was sponsored by several organizations in addition to PGSCD and Prince George’s County Public School System (PGCPS). The program requires significant funding for instruments, transportation, and lunch, to name a few. This year’s sponsors included Keep Prince George’s County Beautiful, Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO), Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission, Prince George’s County Farm Bureau, Green Landing Nursery, Atwell LLC, Robin Hill Farm & Vineyard, Patuxent River 4-H Center Foundation, and the Forest Garden Club.
“We are proud that our Envirothon students are learning content and gaining skills that are essential for addressing local and global environmental issues,” said Donald Belle, Environmental Outreach Educator with the Department of Environmental Education at the William S. Schmidt Center. “We want to build on their enthusiasm by providing methods from which they can address climate change and create awareness at their schools.”
PGSCD and the Schmidt Center collaborated with partners from the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission’s Parks and Recreation division, Maryland’s USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), University of Maryland Extension, and Prince George’s County’s Department of the Environment to provide training opportunities and resources to teams and their coaches.
Envirothon Coach, Nadisha Clayton, says, “I am immensely proud of our team this year as they persevered despite facing challenges on the day of the competition. They are also mostly a new team as we bid farewell to our seniors last year. With only two returning members, both in the tenth grade, the team was able to achieve success through hard work and perseverance. The students are extremely excited and happy for the $1500 grants awarded by PGSCD.”
Laurel High School will head to the State competition at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, June 12-13. The Maryland State Envirothon champions will advance to the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) Envirothon competition held in July at Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, New York. With more counties and states participating each year, the Envirothon competition continues to expand its reach. PGSCD remains committed to its goal to educate as many students and teachers as possible on the importance of conserving our natural resources to preserve and protect the environment. As always, we are #PrinceGeorgesProud!