The High Country Hellbenders after placing sixth in the Northwest region. Photo courtesy of Dr. Cappozzoli.
Every week, Dr. Cappozoli’s classroom is filled with students eager and motivated to challenge themselves with current journal articles, case studies, and government legislation concerning the state of the environment. Unmistakably referred to as the High Country Hellbenders, this team is dedicated to further their knowledge on pressing issues and potential solutions for the environment.
Despite being a relatively new team, having only started up two years ago, members have displayed a profound understanding of environmental science and a passion for learning and supporting sustainable initiatives.
“We have a kind of central goal that everybody’s been working towards,” said Jedi Verling, sophomore. “Outside of our weekly meetings, we study the different subjects, which include forestry, wildlife, aquatics, soils, and current events.”
Dr. Courtney Cappozzoli, the team’s advisor, has also made sure to bring in community speakers in order to provide students with more resources and local information. The team regularly conducts mock competitions and takes practice tests, all in preparation for the official competitions.
Last month, the Hellbenders went to the Northwest Regional Envirothon competition, where students were able to interact with various experts from different fields and gather more information before heading into the testing session.
“I like the fact that we get to represent the school in a competition and go out and show what we've researched as a team,” said Elliot Holcomb, sophomore. “Whenever we go to our meetings, I feel as though it's kind of a bright spot in the day, just seeing everybody on the team, talking about this environment, the study that we've been doing, and it becomes really enjoyable.”
The team, predominantly sophomores, plans on attending more events and competitions in the future in order to familiarize themselves with the format of the questions and present themselves with more opportunities where they can apply their knowledge and learn from professionals.
“I think we have not only the intellectual capacity to succeed, but we're willing to work hard,” said Grayson Elliott, senior and captain of the High Country Hellbenders. “I mean, everybody shows up at all the meetings and they show up passionate and ready to work. We all love what we study, and we don't study it because we have to, or because Dr. Cappolozi was asking us to do it. I think everyone is genuinely interested in the subject.”
Watauga harbors great talent and students have long taken on significant responsibilities for the well-being of their communities. This team is yet another example of the exceptional students who go above and beyond to advocate for the future of the environment.
“I'm proud of them for taking their own initiative to make their own study plan and their own motivation,” said Dr. Capozzoli. “Extremely proud that we're such a new young team this year. We had one senior, majority sophomores, and then once we have a solid foundation and understanding how it looks, I'd love to expand it to more students.”
The team will travel to the statewide competition April 26 through 27 in Burlington.