High school team from Pennsylvania earns Envirothon top honors 07/31/2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Whitney Forman-Cook
Whitney-Forman-Cook[at]nacdnet.org
(202) 595-9139
HIGH SCHOOL TEAM FROM PENNSYLVANIA EARNS ENVIROTHON TOP HONORS
54 student teams representing the United States, Canada, and China put their skills to the test at the world’s largest high school-level natural resources education competition.
WASHINGTON, July 31, 2017 – A five-member team of high school students from Pennsylvania has been named the winner of the 2017 NCF-Envirothon, a leading environmental education program run by the National Conservation Foundation (NCF). The top three scoring teams were awarded a total of $30,000 in cash prizes at an awards ceremony held at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, on Friday.
The 2017 NCF-Envirothon’s cash prizes were sponsored by Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer and processor. Other event sponsors included the National Association of Conservation Districts, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and other organizations recognized here on the official NCF-Envirothon website.
This year, high schools from 45 states, seven Canadian provinces, and two Chinese provinces participated in the NCF-Envirothon at the state/provincial, regional, and international levels.
“NCF offers its congratulations to the winning team and all the students who participated in Envirothon competitions over the last year,” said Carly Burton, the program manager for the NCF-Envirothon. “This year’s competitors blew the judges away with their advanced critical thinking skills and mastery of soils, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and agricultural soil and water conservation stewardship.”
The top 10 teams from the 2017 NCF-Envirothon were:
| Place | High School | City/County | State/Province |
| 1st | Penncrest High School | Media | Pennsylvania |
| 2nd | The Mount Academy | Esopus | New York |
| 3rd | Hot Springs High School | Truth or Consequences | New Mexico |
| 4th | Pembroke Hill High School | Kansas City | Missouri |
| 5th | Chardon High School | Chardon | Ohio |
| 6th | Oxford High School | Oxford | Mississippi |
| 7th | University of Chicago Lab School | Chicago | Illinois |
| 8th | Vantage Point Education High School | Suwanee | Georgia |
| 9th | Palisades Charter High School | Pacific Palisades | California |
| 10th | Venturing Crew 202 | Carroll County | Maryland |
The 2018 Envirothon will be hosted at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho. For more information about Envirothon, including additional sponsors, visit www.envirothon.org.
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About the National Association of Conservation Districts:
The National Association of Conservation Districts is the non-profit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts, their state associations and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For more than 70 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. For more information about NACD, visit: www.nacdnet.org.
About Smithfield Foods:
Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield ®, Eckrich ®, Nathan’s Famous ®, Farmland ®, Armour ®, John Morrell ®, Cook’s ®, Kretschmar ®, Gwaltney ®, Curly’s ®, Margherita ®, Carando ®, Healthy Ones ®, Krakus ®, Morliny ® and Berlinki ®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.