WARSAW, IN - A team of five Warsaw Community High School students recently placed 6th overall at the NCF Envirothon, held at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. Envirothon is an international competition focused on environmental and natural resource conservation, where students develop and present solutions to pressing environmental issues.
Having already secured regional and state titles earlier this year, the team made up of recent WCHS graduates Sydney Clark and Evan Hand, rising senior Titiksha Gorhe, and rising juniors Kevin Gough and Sean Smith went on to represent Indiana against 51 teams from across the U.S., Canadian provinces, and China during the week-long event.
Students participated in intensive field trainings across five key areas: Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soils and Land Use, Wildlife, and the Current Issue of "Roots and Resiliency." These trainings were followed by rigorous written and hands-on testing.
One of the most challenging components of the competition was a 20-minute oral presentation, for which students developed a detailed forest management plan titled “Forestry for the Future.” The team completed this during a six-hour sequestration with no internet access or outside assistance.
Team member Titiksha Gorhe reflected, “The most challenging part was creating the oral presentation while being sequestered for six hours. Our ability to stay focused as a team and play off each other’s strengths was really tested under the time crunch.”
Team captain Sydney Clark added, “Creating a successful oral presentation requires integrating everything you’ve learned from all the subject areas into one practical and complex plan.”
