Envirothon State Winners

Jamestown High School, of James City County Schools, placed first overall in Virginia’s 2024 Dominion Energy Envirothon State Competition, held at Radford University on May 19th-20th, 2024. Jamestown competed with teams representing 18 different high schools throughout Virginia to earn the title of State Champions.  The 2019 team from the same high school was the overall International winner that year, so clearly Jamestown High School must have a terrific coach and great program! In 2023 the Jamestown team also won the Virginia state championship and placed 13^th overall.

Envirothon is an international environmental and natural resources high school competition held annually. This year 53 teams of students from across the United States, Canada and China in a week-long competition demonstrated their knowledge on soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry and wildlife management through written tests and hands on interactive stations. The teams also prepared oral presentations on this year’s current issue, “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future” and teams presented solutions to address a renewable energy scenario for the Hampton Roads area of Virginia.

In Virginia the Envirothon is run by the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Virginia’s 47 local Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Each spring there are a series of regional competitions held by the Soil and Water Conservation Districts with help from our volunteers. For the last 11 years Dominion Energy has been the primary sponsor of Virginia’s local, regional and statewide Envirothon with annual funding provided by its Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation.

“Protecting the environment and supporting local communities are key components of our mission.” said Hunter A. Applewhite, president of the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. “Envirothon proudly promotes both as these students will become future leaders of environmental sustainability.”

The Jamestown High School team is supported locally by the Colonial Soil & Water Conservation District. In second place was Louisa County High School- the Thomas Jefferson SWCD team. In Third place was Eastern View High School- the Culpeper SWCD team. All these schools have excellent programs and many competitive teams over the years.

The Jamestown team will travel to Geneva, New York on July 28th-August 3rd, 2024 to represent Virginia as they compete at the National Conservation Foundation’s International Envirothon. At the International Competition the teams are given a special environmental problem in the morning then have five hours to work out the solution as a team. Join me in wishing the Jamestown High School team good luck.