Above: MMI sends five teams to 2025 Regional Envirothon.

MMI Preparatory School Head of School Mrs. Theresa Long is proud to announce that five teams of MMI students competed in the 2024-25 Luzerne County Regional Envirothon competition held at Camp Kresge. Guided by faculty advisors Mr. Michael Mele and Mrs. Shannon Falcheck, MMI’s students tested their knowledge in environmental science categories including soils, wildlife, forestry, aquatic ecology, and this year’s current issue: “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future.”

MMI fielded five full teams of students from grades 9 through 12. Of the 26 teams in the competition, MMI’s top performers earned 6th, 13th, 16th, 18th, and 20th place. Team A, composed of seniors Kiyan Paknezhad, Alex Composto, Daniel Griffith, Diane Kim, and Kendall Orozco, earned MMI’s highest placement of the day.

“MMI’s continued participation in the Envirothon demonstrates our students’ commitment to applying classroom knowledge to real-world environmental issues,” said Mrs. Long. “I’m proud of the effort and enthusiasm our students bring to this event each year and thankful for Mr. Mele and Mrs. Falcheck for making opportunities like this possible.”

Envirothon continues to be a vital part of MMI’s science programming. “Envirothon gives our students the chance to collaborate and apply complex science concepts outside of the classroom,” said Mr. Mele. “We were proud to bring five full teams to the event, and while we didn’t place as high as we hoped, the learning and teamwork that took place are exactly what this program is about.”

The participating MMI teams included:

Team A (6th Place): Kiyan Paknezhad ’25, Alex Composto ’25, Daniel Griffith ’25, Diane Kim ’25, and Kendall Orozco ’25

Team C (13th Place): Erica Schwear ’26, Samantha Gatts ’26, Siya Patel ’28, Justin Park ’28, and Madalynn Young ’28

Team E (16th Place): Michael Kranyak ’25, Jason Roberts ’25, Tommy Horvat ’25, Joshua Witner ’25, and Aiden Hosier ’25

Team D (18th Place): Winni Zheng ’25, Zachary Naugle ’28, Brayden Harleman ’25, Chloe Allen ’25, and Hayden Schwabe ’25

Team B (20th Place): Alexis Bleiler ’26, Arushi Solgama ’26, Cassidy McDermott ’26, Rishi Patel ’26, and Amanda Stoffa ’27

The Envirothon competition is a long-standing tradition for MMI and an important opportunity for students to explore environmental careers and sustainability science in action.