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The four-county competition pits kids against environmental quizzes. The winner: SpongeBob, from the Academy of Environmental Science.
By PAULETTE LASH RITCHIE
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 1, 2002
BROOKSVILLE -- The members of SpongeBob, a team from the Academy of Environmental Science in Crystal River, says they're a collective genius.
That's how they described themselves Thursday after winning the Nature Coast Envirothon at Chinsegut Nature Center.
"I like to think we put all our brains together to make it one big genius," said team member Laura Steepleton, a junior.
The team's namesake, a cartoon character known as SpongeBob SquarePants, is familiar to viewers of the Nickelodeon channel on cable TV.
"We're super-absorbent and he is an inspiration for us," Steepleton explained.
SpongeBob left the Envirothon with $2,500 in scholarships (provided by the St. Petersburg Times) to be divided among the team's members, a trophy, and medallions for each member.
The Nature Coast Envirothon is a science competition for high school students from Citrus, Hernando, Pasco and Sumter counties.
In all, 275 students in 55 five-member teams rotated among five stations, where they answered questions about aquatics, soils, wildlife, forestry, and invasive species and their impact on the environment.
One team, composed of alternates who accompanied their teams to the event, was allowed to participate but was not eligible to win.
Each team could spend no more than 25 minutes at each station. Winners were determined by numbers of correct answers.
The Academy of Environmental Science's SpongeBob team includes one home-schooled student and students from all three of Citrus County's high schools. Any high school student from grades 10 to 12 can enroll at the academy.
Steepleton, for example, is from Crystal River High School. Sharyl Hernandez, a home-schooled sophomore, credited two fellow members of the SpongeBob team: "Ryan and Adam are geniuses," she said, referring to Ryan Kirby, a Citrus High sophomore, and Adam Shrout, a Lecanto High School senior.
Team member Kevin Chapin, a senior from Crystal River High, was impressed with another of Adam's attributes.
"Our captain is an Eagle Scout," he said.
Besides the overall winner, the top scoring team from each county was recognized.
The top team from Hernando County was Springstead High School's Funyons. The top Pasco County squad was Weevils in a Biscuit from Pasco High School.
As for Sumter County, South Sumter High School's Natural Disasters team was tops among the eight squads from South Sumter and Wildwood high schools.
Also acknowledged were the teams that scored the highest in each category.
The top performer in the soils category, for example, was Two Guys and Some Girls, another team from the Academy of Environmental Science.
The team credited Amanda Rose for her expertise. "She's a genius," teammate Regina Martin said. The other members were Michael Aiuto, Joshua Dahling and Jenna Rhames. These students attend Lecanto High when they are not at the academy.
The other category winners:
Forestry: South Sumter's Natural Disasters
Aquatics: Pasco High's Weevils in a Biscuit
Wildlife: Springstead's Sour Patch Kids
Biodiversity: Braddy Bunch from J.W. Mitchell High School, a relatively new school in Pasco County.
The teams that scored highest in their counties can compete in the state Envirothon April 12-13 at Silver Springs State Park. State winners may go on to the national competition, in New England.