Three members of the Taylorville High School Environthon Team, and their advisor Mary Dawson, were Tuesday’s guest speakers at the weekly meeting of the Taylorville Kiwanis Club at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.

Dawson was escorted by THS students Sky Fisher, Louis Cella, and Zibin Zhang. Mrs. Dawson gave an overview of the five member team and how it competes statewide with over 200 other teams for the right to compete in the combined United States-Canadian competition held each year.

[audio:mdaws721a.mp3]Listen to Dawson's comments here.[/audio]

The teams gain insight into natural systems of the world, doing hands-on solutions of environmental problems. There are five members of each team which combines classroom learning with hands-on field experiences. Each of the five team members rotate through five outdoor testing stations during the competition. This year’s U-S and Canada competition is being held later this month in New Brunswick, Canada, and for the 4th time in several years, the THS team will be competing.

[audio:mdaws721b.mp3]Listen to Dawson's comments here.[/audio]

Sky, Louis, and Zibin each talked about one of the five different areas students are tested as part of the overall competition. Top team members each win monetary awards from the Canon Corporation, which is the national sponsor.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. Weekly meetings of the Kiwanis Club are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital Auditorium.