On Friday, April 17, Rye Country Day’s Upper School Envirothon Team won first place in the oral presentation portion of the 2026 Westchester County Regional Envirothon Competition at Croton Point Park. 

This is RCDS’s fifth straight year placing first in one of the categories and its second consecutive year placing first in the oral presentation.

As part of this multi-county environmental science competition, the Wildcats were challenged to "develop a comprehensive plan to reduce non-point source (NPS) pollution originating from residential areas in a rapidly developing County. The plan should identify household-level behaviors contributing to water quality problems and outline strategies for minimizing pollutants entering local lakes, streams, and groundwater from everyday residential activities."

Presenting to a panel of experts, the team outlined a clear, well-structured strategy to address NPS pollution, highlighting their critical thinking and ability to communicate their ideas concisely.

Hosted by the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation and the Westchester Soil and Water Conservation District, the Westchester County Regional Envirothon is a high school competition focused on environmental studies and natural resources problem-solving for secondary school students in Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam counties. 

Congratulations, Upper Schoolers! 

Envirothon Team & Coaches 
Qian Wei ’26
Ray Cao ’26
Aarush Dey ’27
Zara Khemlani ’27
Parker Maritzen ’27
Marguerite McDonald ’27
Juliette Moore ’27
Daphne Panie ’27
Chase Talpins ’27
Tancrede Weinstein ’27
Peter Valenton ’27
Charlie MacGuffie ’28
Marin Gokgol-Kline ’28
Finley Bethea ’28
Jack Raczynski ’29
Kerry Linderoth, Director of Sustainability
Nicole Zazzarino, Science Lab Technician
Henry Myers, Director of Forest Education at Rye Nature Center