15TH ANNUAL STATE FINALS ECO-MEET A SUCCESS

Students tested on knowledge of Kansas flora and fauna

PRATT – A total of 23 teams consisting of 88 students from 21 Kansas high schools participated in the 15th Annual State Finals ECO-Meet on Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Dyck Arboretum at Hesston College. Schools represented at the competition include: Blue Valley Center for Advanced Professional Studies, Chapman, Goddard, Goodland, Haven, Lakewood Middle School of Salina, Maize, McLouth, Mission Valley, Olathe South, Palco, Pratt, Salina South, Shawnee Mission South, St. Mary’s-Colgan of Pittsburg, St. John’s of Beloit, St. Xavier of Junction City, Tescott, Wakefield, Wilson Junior High and Wilson High School.

ECO-Meets are a series of quiz bowl-type competitions based on knowledge of Kansas plants and animals. Winners were awarded scholarship prizes. The event proved to be an exciting, hard-fought contest, with the following results posted:

Overall Team

1st place: Olathe South HS – Stephen DeHart, Rachel Meyers, Hannah Parrinello, Nadia Qureshi and team coach Rene Gloshen. ($300/student scholarship.)

2nd place: Shawnee Mission South HS – Jessica Jurczak, Jake Morrissey, Joe Petty, Ashleigh Smith and team coach P.J. Born. ($200/student scholarship.)

3rd place: Maize HS, Team A – Sam Urban, Skyler Roth, Ben Emerson, Kris Super, and team coach Jay Super. ($100/student scholarship.)

Individual Events

Mammalogy

1st Place: Stephen DeHart, Olathe South HS ($200 scholarship)

2nd Place: Jake Morrissey, Shawnee Mission South HS ($100 scholarship)

Shortgrass Prairie Ecosystem

1st Place: Stephen DeHart, Olathe South HS ($200 scholarship)

2nd Place: Kris Super, Maize HS ($100 scholarship)

Eight regional qualifying competitions were held to see who claimed the honor of representing their location at the state finals. The regional locations were: Wilson Lake in Russell County, the Sternberg Museum in Hays, Milford Nature Center near Junction City, Lakewood Discovery Center in Salina, Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita, Dillon Nature Center in Hutchinson, Prairie Park Nature Center in Lawrence, and the Ernie Miller Nature Center in Olathe. The Kansas ECO-Meet committee is considering at least one new location (Garden City) for 2014 and also a return to the Southeast Kansas Education Service Center at Greenbush to host the regionals, so there is potential for continued growth of this program.

The Kansas ECO-Meet committee would like to thank the Kansas Wildscape Foundation; the Kansas Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Simpson Farm Enterprises of Ransom; Barton Community College; Friends of Cheyenne Bottoms; Marelcy of Hutchinson; the Kansas Wildlife Federation; the Ellsworth County Chapter of Pheasants Forever; Friends of Milford Nature Center; Mid America Awards of Salina; Goodwin Sporting Goods of Hays; and the Wildlife Education Service Section of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism in Pratt for their continued support.

For more information, visit kansasecomeet.org, or contact Mike Rader at mike.rader@ksoutdoors.com or (620) 672-0708.