Warsaw High School Envirothon Team Wins Fourth Straight State Championship, Heads to International C
WARSAW, IN - Warsaw Community High School (WCHS) students continued their success at the Indiana State Envirothon competition on Wednesday, April 29, with both WCHS teams earning top honors and one team securing Warsaw’s fourth consecutive state championship.
Envirothon is an international environmental and natural resource conservation problem-solving competition. Students are tested in Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soils and Land Use, Wildlife and the current issue of nonpoint-source pollution through written tests, field testing and a prepared oral presentation.
The all-sophomore team of Jocelyn Baldridge, captain, Medha Aluru, Hannah Grossman, Cole Parrott and Diya Patel earned first place in the Oral Presentation component with their project, “The Willow Initiative.” Their presentation focused on installing live stakes of Black Willow trees in the Peterson Ditch area feeding into Winona Lake to address challenges related to nonpoint-source pollution. The team finished fourth overall out of 18 teams.
The team of senior captain Titiksha Gorhe and juniors Kevin Gough, Sean Smith, Jonah Caughell and Alayna Alexander secured first place overall, earning Warsaw’s fourth straight state championship. The team also placed first overall in the written component, earning the highest score in three of five written categories and an impressive 40 out of 50 possible points on the field test.
As the overall winning team, WCHS will represent Indiana at the NCF Envirothon international competition in Mississippi this July, where students will compete against teams from across the United States, Canada, China and Singapore.
“We often hear terms in athletics, such as dynasty, powerhouse and juggernaut when we see dominance from a team. The same is being said of the Warsaw Community High School Envirothon team,” said WCHS Principal Troy Akers. “Year after year, under the direction of WCHS science instructor Mrs. Emily Gough, Warsaw finds its way to the top in this prestigious competition. More impressively, it involves multiple students year after year. We are very proud of our teacher and phenomenal coach, Emily Gough. Wishing you the best at Nationals!”
Students say the experience goes far beyond competition. “Envirothon is special because of the amount of community support we receive,” said Kevin Gough, an 11th grade student. “When building our presentations, community members from organizations such as the Lilly Center, Watershed Foundation and Soil and Water Conservation District help make our project realistic and assist us as practice judges. Beyond that, local experts have been so helpful in teaching us practical knowledge such as how to measure a tree, identify tracks and determine soil texture. This community support helps set our team apart at state and beyond.”
“I joined Envirothon because I like the connections between agriculture and the environment,” said Alayna Alexander, an 11th grade student. “I've loved learning more about all the different organizations in our community who work to conserve our environment.”
“Envirothon is unique from other competitions because it integrates teamwork and teaches you how to work with others under high-pressure situations,” said team captain Titiksha Gorhe. “I'm especially proud of our team's growth in the field work portion of the competition over the last two years.”
Warsaw Community Schools is also grateful to the Kosciusko Soil and Water Conservation District for sponsoring the teams at both the regional and state competitions. Their continued support plays an important role in making these opportunities possible for students.
To support the team’s travel expenses for the international competition, the WCHS Envirothon team will host a give-back night at Culver’s on Tuesday, June 2 from 5 to 8 p.m. Donations may also be made to Warsaw Community High School, attention Emily Gough.
Warsaw Community Schools congratulates these outstanding students and Mrs. Gough on their continued excellence.
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Photo Provided (left to right): Warsaw Cutie Clementines (overall winners) Alayna Alexander, Jonah Caughell, Titiksha Gorhe, coach Emily Gough, Sean Smith, Kevin Gough
Photo Provided: Cole Parrott and Hannah Grossman work on using a Biltmore stick to measure a tree during the field testing part of the competition