CUMBERLAND — A team from Southern High School was the 2026 Garrett County Envirothon competition winner. The event was held April 21 at the Hickory Environmental Education Center with teams from Northern and Southern participating in a variety of conservation challenges.
Envirothon is a problem-solving, hands-on natural resources competition, with the objectives of promoting a deeper knowledge of how individuals and groups impact the environment by understanding environmental interactions and interdependence; being aware of current environmental issues, agencies and resources that assist in resource protection and conservation practices; and raising environmental awareness.
Resource trainers from area agencies provided volunteer training and mentoring throughout the year for students and were integral participants during the training and testing days. The five categories of competition are traditionally: wildlife, aquatics, forestry, soils, and a special fifth issue that is selected each year.
Area agencies that assisted with this year’s training and competition were: Maryland DNR Park Service, Forestry and Wildlife agencies; Garrett County Forestry Board; Garrett Soil Conservation District; U.S. Department of Agriculture; and Garrett County Extension Services.
Coaches were Carrie Glass (Northern High) and Erin Coffman (Southern High). Special assistance was provided by Sharon Hoover, Randy Sharpless, Rebecca Kenyon-Sisler, and Jason Shank of the Hickory Environmental Education Center.
Participating students were:
• Northern High School — Abbigail Baker, Eoin Matteo Elica, Eden Rankin, Allison Thrush and Madeline Smith.
• Southern High School — Lani Daugherty, Meredith Murphy, Ayla Rodeheaver, Ava Stewart and Logan Guthrie.
Recognition is given to teams earning a high score in individual categories and overall. Category winners were:
• Aquatics – Southern.
• Forestry – Southern.
• Soils – Southern.
• Wildlife – Southern.
• 5th Issue (Waste to Resources) – Northern.
Southern will advance to the Maryland State Envirothon, which will be held June 10-11 at Mt. St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg.
The envirothon began in 1979 in Pennsylvania, with the first national competition in 1988. GCPS students in grades 9-12 are eligible to participate in the competition.
For more information, contact Rebecca Kenyon-Sisler at rebecca.kenyon@gcps.net.