Huntington Finishes Near Top of
LI Envirothon
A team of five Huntington High School science research students stepped up their already impressive game and finished third in the Long Island Regional Envirothon at the Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts in Wheatley Heights.
This marked the third year Huntington had entered a team in the environmental studies competition, which is sponsored Cannon. The squad consisted of Holly Flores, Adam Cerini, Jason Chisolm, Kaja Coraor, and Juiliana Coraor. The teenagers went into the competition filled with energy and enthusiasm. Simple put, they wanted to win the very challenging science contest.
The competition tested the skills of participants in the areas of forestry, aquatics, soils, wildlife and this year's focus issue - fresh water estuaries. Students moved among subject stations, answering 25 multiple-choice questions at each.
Many of the questions required the use of audio-visual aids, along with sophisticated equipment and maps. Participants also made oral presentations related to fresh water estuaries. Students were given an "environmental scenario" two months ago and prepared a team solution for it, ultimately presenting their results to a distinguished panel of judges, who made final scoring decisions.
"We were elated to have to have placed and have already put our eyes on first and started thinking up team angles for next year," said teacher Lori Pyzocha, who heads Huntington's science research program.
The Long Island Envirothon is coordinated by the Nassau and Suffolk soil and water conservation districts in collaboration with the US Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.