Recently, a team from Canton Middle School, whimsically named O’Possum My Possum, won the Soil and Water District Area 1 Envirothon competition at the USDA Test Farm on Raccoon Road in Waynesville.

For eighth grader Cecelia Tucker, the win felt, “Wonderful!  All the hard work we did really paid off.”  Eighth grader Gracie Woods said, “It was stressful, but it was fun to spend the day walking around to all the different stations with my team.”

Envirothon is a team-based competition sponsored in North Carolina by the NC Association of Soil and Water through its eight regional Areas, with assistance from the Division of Soil and Water Conservation within the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Five-person student teams spend the first half of the day visiting education stations that cover five subject areas – Soils and Land Use, Aquatics, Forestry, Wildlife, and Current Environmental Issues – and they then put their heads together to pass exams in the five areas.  The top qualifying teams in each Soil and Water Area are then eligible to go on to statewide competition in late April at Cedarock Park in Alamance County.

Eighth grader Catherine Turvin, who concentrates on Current Environmental Issues for the team, enjoys the challenge her topic presents.  “I like the range of information I get to learn.  It’s never just one topic, it’s many.”

This was Canton Middle School’s second time winning first place in the sixteen-county Soil and Water District Area 1 competition – its first since 2003 – although many of the school’s teams in recent years have still qualified to go to state.  For seventh grader Amy Hunt, it was the third time someone in her family has helped a CMS team to go on to the next level of competition.  Her two older brothers both took part in Envirothon and enjoyed learning from science teacher Tim Shepard while at CMS, so having Mr. Shepard as her team’s coach was a big influence on Amy’s decision to participate.  “He’s a really great teacher,” she said.

Eighth grader Alayna Blaylock agreed.  “He is an inspiring coach,” she said, “and he supports us every step of the way.”

Next up for Canton Middle is the statewide championship competition at Cedarock Park in Alamance County, on April 24-25.  All five girls are excited to get another chance to work together under pressure.  Gracie Woods thinks the team is ready for the challenge at the next level.  “We want to prove again to everyone that CMS is an awesome school!”

Submitted by:  William Hunt, Canton Middle School