The Prince George’s Soil Conservation District and the William S. Schmidt Outdoor Education Center hosted the Prince George’s County Envirothon at the Schmidt Center on April 26. This is the first time the competition was held in person since the COVID pandemic!
BRANDYWINE, MD – The Prince George’s Soil Conservation District (PGSCD) is pleased to announce that Laurel High School won first-place honors in the 2023 Prince George’s County Envirothon Competition. Crossland High School came in second place. The Prince George’s Soil Conservation District and the William S. Schmidt Outdoor Education Center hosted the event at the Schmidt Center on April 26. This is the first time the competition was held in person since the COVID pandemic. Fifteen teams from eight Prince George’s County high schools were tested in five categories: aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and this year’s fifth issue, “Adapting to a Changing Climate.” Participating high schools were Academy of Health Sciences at Prince George’s Community College, Duval High School, Crossland High School, Dr. Henry Wise High School, Fairmont Heights High School, Frederick Douglas High School, Laurel High School, and Potomac High School. Bladensburg High School and Oxon Hill High School attended trainings but were unable to participate in the competition.
“We are extremely proud of the students who competed in the 2023 Prince George’s County Envirothon competition. A special congratulations to the winning team from Laurel High School and to the runners-up from Crossland High School,” said Steven E. Darcey, PGSCD’s District Manager. “This program wouldn’t have been a success without the hard work and dedication of the local Envirothon coordinators, resource specialists, coaches, and sponsors. We give heartfelt thanks to everyone involved. Now, let’s go win the Maryland State Envirothon!”
The event was sponsored by several organizations in addition to PGSCD and Prince George’s County Public School System (PGCPS). The program requires significant funding for instruments, transportation, and lunch, to name a few. This year’s sponsors included Keep Prince George’s County Beautiful, Maryland Association of Conservation Districts, Environmental Quality Resources, Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO), Prince George’s County Farm Bureau, Green Landing Nursery, Prince George’s County Forest Conservancy District Board, Atwell LLC, Robin Hill Farm & Vineyard, and the Forest Garden Club.
“We are proud that our Envirothon students are learning content and gaining skills that are essential for addressing local and global environmental issues,” said Donald Belle, Environmental Outreach Educator with the Department of Environmental Education at the William S. Schmidt Center. “We want to build on their enthusiasm by providing methods from which they can address climate change and create awareness at their schools.”
PGSCD and the Schmidt Center collaborated with partners from the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission’s Parks and Recreation division, Maryland’s USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), University of Maryland Extension, and Prince Georges County’s Department of the Environment to provide training opportunities and resources to teams and their coaches.
Envirothon Coach, Nadisha Clayton, says, “I am so proud of our Laurel High students. They put a lot of work into this year, and I was really satisfied with their level of preparation. Their hard work paid off. I am especially happy because we got the highest score in all the topics. Our seniors are excited about winning the $1,500 scholarship, provided by PGSCD, as they are all heading to college in the fall. It was really great to be back in person at the Envirothon and the students really enjoyed the competition and being outside.”
Laurel High School will head to the State competition at the Western 4H Park in Garrett County, June 15-16. The Maryland State Envirothon champions will advance to the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) Envirothon competition held in July at Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada. With more counties and states participating each year, the Envirothon competition continues to expand its reach. PGSCD remains committed to its goal to educate as many students and teachers as possible on the importance of conserving our natural resources to preserve and protect the environment. As always, we are #PrinceGeorgesProud!
About the Prince George’s Soil Conservation District
Started in 1941, the Prince George’s Soil Conservation District aims to protect and promote the health, safety, and general welfare of state and local citizens. The District aims to enhance their environment by conserving soil, water and related resources, controlling and preventing soil erosion in order to preserve natural resources, control floods, prevent impairment of dams and reservoirs, assist in maintaining the navigability of rivers and harbors, preserve wildlife, protect the tax base, and protect public lands.
The Prince George’s Soil Conservation District provides technical planning and implementation services to the urban development industry, the rural agricultural industry, the County’s agricultural land preservation programs, the urban agricultural industry, and maintains an active outreach and education program.