Pali Students Win State Contest

To win an environmental science and natural resource management contest, a group of Palisades Charter High School students successfully completed such tasks as examining footprints in the wild, measuring the height of a pine tree and identifying types of soil. The five seniors won the Canon Envirothon state contest held April 2-4 and sponsored by Canon U.S.A., Inc. and several conservation groups. The students will compete in the national contest from July 28 to August 3 at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. ‘I am very proud of our team,’ said science teacher Steve Engelmann, the supervisor. ‘They took the initiative and made a lot of sacrifices on their own.’ The students volunteer to participate in this after-school program and do not receive academic credit. In addition to completing their regular schoolwork, they must set aside time to prepare for the competition, Engelmann said. This is the second straight year Palisades High won the state contest, held outside Kings Canyon in the foothills of the Sierras, and the school’s fourth year to participate. The winning team members are Ana Escalante (who also competed last year), Matthew Correia, Shion An, Ethan Larson and Trevor Cline. Eleven teams from six schools competed at the state level, including another Palisades High team that placed fourth. Members of that team are Cecelia McGaughran, Natalie Farnham, Connie Clarke, Rosalva Chavez and Alina Vasilenko. To reach the state level, the two teams won the regional contest at Ernest E. Debs Regional Park on March 24. In Kings Canyon, students completed five written and field exams on soils, forestry, aquatics, wildlife and a current environmental issue. This year, the students analyzed how recreational activities affect natural resources. ‘The exams are all outdoors and practical,’ Engelmann said. Shion An likes the competition because it’s hands-on. ‘You are actually in the middle of the forest taking a test,’ she said. ‘You can learn better with a leaf in hand.’ An can now identify most of the trees in California forests. ‘I can point at a pine cone and give its scientific name; it’s kind of nerdy, but I like that I know,’ she said. The students also gave an oral presentation about how to provide recreational activities in Yosemite National Park while still preserving the park. They suggested building a natural history museum, which would raise money for the park and cause the least amount of environmental damage, Cline said. They also proposed educating the public about the importance of staying on hiking trails and disposing of waste properly. The team presented in front of a panel of judges who represented groups such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service and the Natural Resource Conservation Service. To prepare for the state contest, the students met once a week during lunch, after school or on the weekends. They ventured into Temescal Canyon to measure trees and take water samples. Engelmann hopes the team will have a chance to meet with a forester or soil scientist before nationals. In last year’s competition, Palisades High competed against 53 teams from the United States and Canada and finished 19th. ‘We are hoping to place in the top 10 this year,’ Engelmann said. The top 10 teams receive scholarships and prizes from Canon. ‘I really like competitions that test your academic capability,’ said Cline, who found that the contest made him and his teammates more environmentally conscious. Teammate An started a program on campus that encourages teachers and students to use both sides of computer paper before recycling. ‘It just adds another step to it,’ An said. ‘Reuse and recycle.’ Escalante has decided she would like to become a civil engineer, so she can design and construct ‘green’ schools and apartment buildings. ‘The earth sustains us, and we need to take care of what gives us life,’ Correia noted.