From May 23 to 25, two teams of five students from Carman Collegiate participated in the Manitoba Envirothon Provincial Competition, which was held at the International Peace Garden near Boissevain.
This annual hands-on environmental education competition for high school students includes an outdoor field test and an oral competition. This year, the Grade 12 team from Carman Collegiate (Ryan Penner, Wrenly Crampton, Sara Gross, Griffin Carnelley, Wynelle Dueck) placed first for their overall best score on the field test and oral competition to win the provincials.
The students battled some snow and the elements over the weekend at the International Peace Garden during the course of the Envirothon.
“It was a very fun experience, but it was very different with the snow,” said Dueck. “There were a few changes to the competition, and we had to do the field test inside. For me, it was a bit of a shock to win, as it was my first time this year doing Envirothon, and we only had one experienced member, as the rest were also new to this. It was very cool to win, and a great achievement. I made many fun memories with my team, and enjoyed the opportunity to try something new.”
“It was different than anything I’ve done before and a fun way to learning new things,” added Gross. “It was neat to stay overnight, and I enjoyed getting to really immerse in the studies as well as team building. I didn’t think too much into winning beforehand, but the team worked hard and really well together to really understand and share our knowledge.”
The Envirothon is designed to encourage teamwork, problem-solving, and public speaking while fostering an appreciation for current environmental issues. Envirothon, a unique blend of team competition, environmental learning, and hands-on activities, is not just a competition but a platform for students to develop crucial skills.
This approach to environmental education equips students with the necessary tools to tackle environmental issues, fostering collaboration, critical thinking, and public debate skills. It’s an inspiring journey of growth and learning.
“As a new teacher, I had heard about it at a Professional Development event and thought it sounded like an interesting extracurricular activity to offer to my students,” said Carman Collegiate teacher Rosanne Massinon. “Not only has the program been a great experience for my students, but it has allowed me to connect and network with other science teachers and led to the implementation of other school programs like our garden and river water monitoring.”
Massinon was very impressed with the winning team and the work ethic that they had showed which had helped make them successful at the provincial competition.
“The field test is very difficult and requires studying materials that are above and beyond the regular science curriculum,” said Massinon. “We are competing against much larger schools, so I don’t usually put much pressure on the students to study. I want them to have fun and enjoy the experience. This year’s team took it upon themselves to spend extra time studying the material, and they still had a lot of fun.”
After the Grade 12 team won, they decided to take the scholarship money prize instead of going on to compete at an international event in Geneva, New York, in July. Since they are all graduating and going off to different universities in the fall, they have decided to each take the $1,000 scholarship prize.
The Envirothon continues to grow every year, so if any high school students are interested in taking part next year, let your school know.
“I think the highlights for the students are the ‘camp’ atmosphere and the hands-on opportunities to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-life scenarios. There are also fun opportunities to meet students from other schools during activities like the trading post and trivia night.”
