EMDALE, KS – The St. John's Catholic Envirothon Team has won the
Kansas Envirothon competition, held in Emdale, Kansas on April 23, 2025, earning $500. Students: Henry Holdren, Jonas Letourneau, Nicholas Niewald, Myla, and Canaan will be headed to Nationals July 20 – 26, 2025 at the Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
This is the second year running that they have taken home the championship. They attended nationals last summer in New York state. Mr. Joe Holdren is their coach.
According to the National Envirothon website, "Envirothon is an international environmental and natural resource problem-solving competition that builds leadership experience for high school students (grades 9-12 or ages 14-19). Incorporating STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) principles, hands-on learning, and outdoor field experiences, Envirothon encourages students to expand their knowledge and explore environmental education and natural resource conservation through the study of Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soils and Land Use, Wildlife, and Current Environmental Issues."
St. Johns scored a 76 in Aquatic Ecology; a 75 in Current Environmental issues; 81 in Forestry, 100 in Oral Presentation, 88 in Rangeland, 78 in Soils Land Use, and a 73 in Wildlife for a total score of 571 for first place. Manhattan placed second with 550 points; Olathe North third at 527; Holton fourth at 524; Jefferson County North fifth at 497; Uniontown sixth at 486; Wakefield seventh at 472; Rock Creek eighth at 463; Ellsworth ninth at 444 and Mission Valley tenth at 434.
