Members of the Bellefonte Area High School Envirothon team and their faculty advisor are crowned following their victory at the Centre County Envirothon at Bald Eagle State Park on April 28. Pictured, from left, are Conservation District Watershed Specialist Leigh Fehlman, Eli Martin, team captain Logan Rarrick, faculty advisor Myken Poorman, Alayna Martin, Anna Tyson, Saydie Murphy and Commissioner Steve Dershem. PHOTO PROVIDED

PHOTO PROVIDED
Bellefonte Area High School’s Envirothon team took first place overall at Centre County Envirothon at Bald Eagle State Park. Pictured, from left, are team members Saydie Murphy, team captain Logan Rarrick, Eli Martin, Alayna Martin and Anna Tyson.

HOWARD — For the fourth consecutive year, Bellefonte Area High School’s Envirothon team took first place overall at Centre County Envirothon, which is held annually at Bald Eagle State Park.

Bellefonte earned first place in the Wildlife, Aquatics and Forestry stations and will advance to the state competition at Camp Mount Luther in Mifflinburg on May 20.

BAHS team members included Saydie Murphy, Eli Martin, Alayna Martin, Anna Tyson and team captain Logan Rarrick. According to the team’s faculty advisor, Myken Poorman, all but Rarrick were first-time competitors.

“We’re very excited to be competing at states for the fourth year in a row,” Poorman said. “They’ve put in the study time, and I’m super proud!”

Other schools participating in the competition were Bald Eagle Area High School, the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology, Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy, Delta High School and Penns Valley Area High School.

Envirothon is North America’s largest environmental competition for high school students. The yearly event is a hands-on, team-based challenge that focuses on problem-solving and protecting the environment. Teams of five demonstrate their knowledge about soil and land use, water ecosystems, forests, animals and current environmental topics through field testing and oral presentations. The contest helps students learn about natural resources and conservation while encouraging teamwork as they create and share solutions to real environmental problems.

The Centre County Conservation District sponsors the Envirothon at the local level.

The winner of the state competition will compete against teams from across the United States and Canada for the national title.