Mahopac High School’s Envirothon teams delivered an outstanding performance at the Westchester County Regional Envirothon, earning first place in the soils and land use category and securing both first- and second-place finishes for Putnam County.
Held at Croton Point Park, the annual competition brought together students from across the region to test their knowledge of environmental science through hands-on challenges. Participants demonstrated their understanding of topics including forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology and soils, as well as this year’s current issue, “Non-Point Sources of Pollution: It Begins at Home.” Each team also presented solutions and research tied to the theme.
Mahopac students Allison Calvert, Ellen Caraher, Jasmine DeFino, Luca Giuliani, Alyza Laufman, Ellie Potter, Klara Stasiak, Thomas Theanthong, Victor Valentin and Danna Yari represented the district with strong collaboration throughout the event. The teams were supported by Envirothon advisers, science teacher Robert D’Alessandro and special education and science teacher Stephen Zanarini, who helped guide their preparation for the event.
“I’m incredibly proud of the way our students approached this competition,” D’Alessandro said. “They put in a great deal of time preparing, worked together as a team and showed a real understanding of the environmental issues they were studying. It was great to see their hard work pay off.”
The Envirothon experience continues to provide students with opportunities to apply classroom learning in real-world settings while building teamwork, problem-solving skills and a deeper appreciation for environmental stewardship.
