Lexington High School junior Caroline Ehmann is a passionate advocate for environmental science and a dedicated leader in the LHS community. 

Ehmann serves as captain of the LHS Envirothon team, capturing two consecutive national titles. She also is a rising captain of the Science Olympiad team. Envirothon is a national competition with questions focusing on various aspects of environmental science. Ehmann began participating as a freshman because of her interest in understanding climate change and the complexities behind working to improve the environment. She believes that the competition allows her to strive towards climate remediation.  

“It taught me a lot about all our natural resources and how we can protect them and how they’ve been threatened. Climate change has so many environmental issues going on right now that I think are really important and the way that can lead to action was really interesting for me,” Ehmann said. 

Ehmann’s journey with Envirothon has enabled her to establish a presence in the local community beyond LHS. On April 30, she, along with other climate advocates, spoke at a Lexington Lyceum event on climate change and sustainability.

“My co-captain and I talked at this panel, and we got to meet so many cool thinkers in the community, who are involved in the energy sector,” Ehmann said. 

Envirothon’s collaborative nature involves a strong commitment to teamwork and maintaining a tight-knit community. 

“The best part of Envirothon I think is the community and I, as a captain for the past few years, that’s been like a huge part of what I’ve tried to uphold and maintain the club because there’s just so many amazing people and being able to collaborate on such a deep level,” Ehmann said.

Since her freshman year, Ehmann has also participated actively in Science Olympiad. The Science Olympiad team participates in local and state competitions. Besides competing for the LHS A team, Ehmann is also a coach of Clarke Middle School’s team.

“There are some great middle schoolers and it is fun to hang out with them. It is important to encourage them to put in the work, but also be interested in what they do,” Ehmann said.

Ehmann emphasizes that Science Olympiad, much like Enviothron, revolves around building a strong community and having fun with each other.

“The community is just amazing. When I come home from invitationals that we attended, I feel sore from smiling, because it’s just so fun,” Ehmann said. 

While Ehmann is graduating next year, she hopes to continue her love for science and maintain her role as a voice for the community.

“After high school, I want to pursue something in STEM, whether it be environmental or chemistry,” Ehmann said.