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FJ McElligott's Radium Girls take 10th spot at the Ontario Envirothon

Near North District School Board News Release ******************** The Near North District School Board is pleased to announce that the senior team from F.J.



Near North District School Board
News Release

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The Near North District School Board is pleased to announce that the senior team from F.J. McElligott Secondary School in Mattawa captured 10th place overall at the Ontario Envirothon competition in St. George, Ontario held on May 4-7, 2011. Twenty-one districts from across Ontario were represented. The team, calling themselves the Radium Girls, finished 5th place in Aquatics, 8th place in Estuaries and 9th place in Forestry.

On competition day, students moved through five 45-minute stations to complete an extensive written test at each one, as well as perform field tests such as measuring and identifying trees. Even more stressful was the preparation for the 10-minute oral presentation the following day. Students were given a problem to solve in the morning and were immediately taken to a room to prepare for four hours without any research materials or access to computers.

The Radium Girls consist of Jessica-Lynn Groulx (wildlife specialist), Riley Clarke (estuary specialist), Dali Pecore (soil specialist), Shelby Romain (forestry specialist), and Jordan Mayfield (aquatics specialist).

“Envirothon was a unique experience; very busy, but worth every hectic second,” said team member Dali Pecore.
The team finished first place at the Mattawa-North Bay Regional Envirothon held at the Canadian Ecology Centre this past April.

Envirothon teams consist of groups of five students from grade 9-12, who work as a team, but each person studies and trains in their chosen topic. This year, the topics included aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and estuaries.

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