The Massachusetts Envirothon is an annual outdoor field competition where teams of three to five members from high schools across Massachusetts come together to showcase their knowledge of Massachusetts’ environment. The competition consists of five different stations, with the first four giving teams the opportunity to answer open-ended questions and partake in hands-on activities ranging from soil analysis to water quality measurements. The fifth station is where teams give 15-minute judged presentations on a Current Issue selected by the Massachusetts Envirothon Committee. Students are expected to address the issue’s impact on their community as well as propose solutions to the issue. 

This year, Lexington High School’s Envirothon Team, led by Captains Eileen Ho and Jocelyn Chen, brought two five-member teams to the Massachusetts Envirothon competition in Easton. To prepare for the competition, which took place on May 22, 2025, the team met regularly to teach environmental topics throughout the year and work on their Current Issue presentation.

“Unlike most of the other STEM teams at school, during our meetings, we have presentations where we teach members about the topics that will be covered at the actual competition… Then, towards the end of the year, we mainly focus on creating our Current Issue presentation,” Chen said.

The team’s preparation for the competition was met with challenges. However, these were eventually overcome thanks to the team members’ dedication to Environthon. 

“Tackling the issues of not just time management, but how we’re all going to coordinate together, given [the] chaos in our own lives … I think to overcome it was really through a lot of hard work, and we would not have come this far if it weren’t for the passion and drive that all of our members have,” Veohm Patel, a senior who has participated in the past four Massachusetts Envirothon competitions, said.

The team does not solely focus on winning the Massachusetts Envirothon, however. They also enjoy using their interests in meaningful ways to help their community.

“We work with different groups around the town to help push awareness about environmental issues to fellow youth members of our community. In fact, one of the things we actually did a couple of years back was … banning single-use plastics in schools, which is why [students] now have those metal water bottles,” Patel said. 

Students who don’t make the competition teams can still find ways to contribute meaningfully.

“Members who didn’t get placed on teams … help us with the presentation. [They] help wrap everything together and help support us throughout the way,” Patel said.

Over the years, the team has built a strong sense of community, something that both Patel and Chen highlighted as being one of the most valuable aspects of being a part of the team.

“I would say that the Envirothon team is probably one of the most tight-knit clubs or communities around school because we spend so much time practicing together,” Chen said.

This strong sense of camaraderie, combined with the hands-on activities of the Envirothon, has helped many students discover new passions and goals.

“I’m going into environmental engineering … I would not have gone into the environmental field if it weren’t for my participation in the Envirothon,” Patel said.

Despite the tryout process used to determine competition teams, the team emphasizes that Envirothon is open to all students.

“Even if you don’t think that you’re interested in things like environmental science or conservation, I would recommend that you just go to a few meetings,” Chen said.