Thomas County Central High School Envirothon team has qualified for state competition.

The team placed second in forestry and fourth overall at the South Regional competition held at High Falls State Park in Jackson on March 8. Team members are Hailey Ferrel, James Gay, Bret Hendricks, C'lee Kornegay and Alysa Yates.

“I’m very proud about qualifying for state because we all worked very hard,” James Gay said.

Envirothon is an outdoor competition with five categories set up at separate stations: soil, forestry, wildlife, aquatics and a current topic (this year it’s rangelands). Student teams work their way around these stations by answering questions, taking measurements and identifying specimens. 

Each team member was responsible for becoming “experts” in two of the five areas, Kornegay said. Categories are completed via a combination of on paper questions and hands on activities.

“Much of the material was learned in our AP Environmental Science class,” she said. “Students also received help from TCCHS forestry teacher, Mr. (Glen) Gosier and the Friends of Lost Creek Forest with some of the field work that was required. They also studied a lot on their own.”

Gay competed in aquatics and had to identify macroinvertebrates.

“I care about the environment and feel that it’s important to know about,” he said of joining his school’s Envirothon team. “I enjoyed how it was all outside and very interactive.”

The state event will be held at Hard Labor State Park in Rutledge March 27-28. The team will tackle a scenario related to the current topic.

“Students will have to prepare a presentation that describes their proposed solution for the problem in the scenario,” Kornegay explains. “Before state, students will review this study material, and they will focus on their presentation.”