DIXFIELD — Dirigo High School’s Envirothon teams placed first in the regional competition in Dover-Foxcroft and second at the state competition held at Unity College.

Science teacher and adviser, Melanie Johnson, said the Envirothon is more than a contest.

“Participation in the Envirothon helps to support the guiding principles required for graduation. Working in teams provides students with the opportunity to explore each other’s strengths and weaknesses and how to approach different topics,” she said.

“They develop a wide range of knowledge of natural resource topics, such as wildlife, soils, aquatics, forestry and a current events issue, using a hands-on problem-solving approach,” she added via email.

Students who participated in the regionals included juniors Emma Leuders, Sela Smith, Ellie Jasper, Nicole Dumond and Hateya Levesque, who also took first place in soils knowledge; and seniors Ming Schnorr, Abby Colpitts, Keith Masse, Brooklyn Kjenstad and Kevin Blodgett, who took first place in forestry, wildlife, aquatics, and current event-urban forestry, winning first place overall. 

Senior teammates Ming Schnorr, Abby Colpitts and Brookelyn Kjenstad went to the state competition where they took first place in forestry and second place overall. A fourth team member, Kevin Blodgett, was unable to attend.

Johnson said students on the Envirothon teams can see the applications of science in the real world, and some may use the experience as a starting point for their future careers.