HJ16: Commending the Fort Defiance High School Envirothon team.


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 16
Offered January 11, 2006
Prefiled December 8, 2005
Commending the Fort Defiance High School Envirothon team.
Patrons-- Landes; Senator: Hanger

WHEREAS, Virginia was represented at the 2005 Canon Envirothon, held July 19-24, 2005, in Springfield, Missouri, by a team of exemplary students from Fort Defiance High School in the Augusta County public school system; and

WHEREAS, the resourceful and talented students on the Virginia team were Jared Knicley, Kate Abshire, Whitney Hawkins, Ryan Bugas, and Ali Fitzgerald and their advisors were Brent Hull and Eric Stogdale; and

WHEREAS, the team was sponsored by the Headwaters Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the Virginia Manufacturers Association Outreach Group, the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund, and Philip Morris, Inc.; and

WHEREAS, the 2005 Canon Envirothon is North America's largest high school environmental education competition and offers students a unique exposure to diverse ecosystems and an opportunity to interact with other students who share their passion for the environment; and

WHEREAS, winning teams from participating states and provinces from the United States and Canada compete for recognition and scholarships by demonstrating their knowledge of environmental science and natural resource management; and

  WHEREAS, each team consists of five high school students who use their problem-solving skills in a competition centered on four testing categories--soils/land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, and wildlife, as well as an exercise involving a  current environmental issue; and

WHEREAS, the knowledgeable Fort Defiance High School Envirothon team won second place in the challenging competition, and each team member received a $4,000 scholarship; and

WHEREAS, the outstanding performance of the Fort Defiance High School Envirothon team members is a tribute to the perseverance, talent, and teamwork of the members, the leadership of the advisory staff, and the support of the parents, teachers, and administrators of Fort Defiance High School; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend and congratulate the Fort Defiance High School Envirothon team for brilliantly representing the Commonwealth at the 2005 Canon Envirothon; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Fort Defiance High School Envirothon team as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for their hard work and dedication to the study of the environment.