WALDORF, Md. — The Charles Soil Conservation District announced that the Charles County Envirothon team placed fourth at the Maryland Envirothon held June 10-11 at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg. District officials said it may be the first time a Charles County team has finished in the top five of the statewide competition.
Representing Charles County was a five-member team from La Plata High School following its victory at the Charles County Envirothon on April 15 at Gilbert Run Park. Coached by La Plata High School teacher Jacob Terlecki, the team consisted of Riley Johnson, Amelia Liston, Alison Miller, Samantha Mojica and Sofia Myers. The team also included an honorary sixth member, Nugget, the team’s squirrel mascot, named after a squirrel that fell from a tree onto one of the team members during the Charles County Envirothon event.
Another notable connection for the team involved Riley Johnson’s mother, Tara Parker-Johnson, who competed on the La Plata High School team that represented Charles County at the Maryland Envirothon 30 years ago. Parker-Johnson attended this year’s event as a team chaperone and serves as an Envirothon coach at St. Charles High School. She challenged her son to surpass her team’s eighth-place finish at the Maryland Envirothon, and the team accomplished that goal.
Terlecki has coached La Plata High School’s Envirothon teams for three years. With only one team member graduating this year, the group viewed this year’s participation as a learning experience and a step toward competing again in 2027.
Charles County’s Envirothon program includes two teams from each of the county’s seven public high schools. Students participate in three hands-on training sessions during the school year before competing in the annual event. Competition topics include aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife and a rotating fifth topic. This year’s theme was “Non-Point Source Pollution: It Begins at Home!”
Montgomery County won the Maryland Envirothon and will represent the state at the NCF Envirothon at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, July 19-25.