Bangor dominated the podium at the Northampton County Envirothon.

This year’s Envirothon featured 12 teams from 7 different county schools. Through their determination and perseverance, Bangor’s teams won both first and second place overall.

The Maroon Team, led by Captain Abigail (Abby) Duyssen, won first place with an overall score of 406 points, while the White Team, led by Captain Emma Toth, won second place with 332 points. This win marks the eighth county level championship for Bangor in a row. Both teams are moving on to States which will be held at Camp Mount Luther in Mifflinburg on May 24^th, 2023.

Envirothon is an important club at Bangor High School as it teaches students the joys of nature presented in the framework of friendly competitions. There are five categories for each competition. Each member of the team specializes in one category: Aquatics, Soils, Current Issues, Forestry, and Wildlife.

Duyssen was impressed by teammates in every category.

“Every member of both of our teams studied hard for their content area during the weeks leading up to the competition,” Duyssen said. “Although our studying is mostly independent, we really couldn’t have won without the support and encouragement of our advisors Mr. Thomas and Mr. Hachtman.”

When examining the work put in by teams and captains, to describe it as simply studying might be an understatement.

“To prepare for the competition I make sure to review the resources and ask my advisors any questions that I have. Our advisors will try to give us tips on how to strategize taking the tests. It helps not only myself, but my team prepare,” Toth said. “I will also check in with my teammates to make sure that they have been reviewing and help them with whatever I can to make sure the team is well prepared.”

While Bangor has a history of success, schools in the area also feature many talented students; nevertheless, Duyssen was confident.

“Since Bangor has won the county competition for the past 8 years, I did not go into this year’s competition with many doubts. However, there is always the possibility for other teams to improve, so we had to stay on top of our game,” Duyssen said.

With this continued track record of success, the future is looking bright even as Duyssen and Toth will be moving on to the next phase of life.

“As captain of the team, I learned that everyone can contribute to the team despite them not knowing all of the content. Overlap between categories is common, so teamwork throughout the competition is beneficial to our success,” Duyssen said.