by Hilary Brumberg

After placing first in the Massachusetts Envirothon competition in May, this school’s science team place 13th in the International Canon Envirothon Sunday, July 22 to Friday, July 27 at Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania.

“Coming into it, I knew it would be more challenging and more hands on than the State Envirothon,” said rising senior Malini Gandhi, the Envirothon team captain. “Thirteenth is very exciting for our first time at Nationals.”

This school’s team, which consisted of Gandhi, rising juniors Ying Gao and Eliana Gevelber, rising sophomore Kavish Gandhi and Emma Rosenfield ’12, competed against 54 teams from across the United States and Canada.

All teams completed Eco-Stations in natural resource categories such as soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry and wildlife. The teams later proved their knowledge of this year’s current environmental issue, stormwater, through a presentation on a solution to a drainage problem.

Gandhi said she was very pleased with the team’s ability in the Eco-Stations. It placed first in forestry and sixth overall.

Its score dropped to 13th after the stormwater presentations because the team did not put enough emphasis on the presentation aspect, according to Gandhi. “Even if you have the knowledge, if you can’t sell it, you won’t do well,” she explained.

To prepare for the National Envirothon, this school’s team met twice a week in June and July. “Everyone was very enthusiastic and hardworking, even though they were doing work in the summer,” Gandhi said.

Looking toward next year, Gandhi hopes the team will advance to Nationals again and place even higher through “putting more stress on the oral presentation,” she said.