The North Harford High School Envirothon team achieved a third-place finish at the 2024 NCF-Envirothon Competition held from July 28 to Aug. 2 in Geneva, New York.

The event took place at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and saw participation from 49 teams representing the United States, Canada, China and Singapore, according to a news release.

Teams competed across five areas – aquatic studies, forestry, soil science and wildlife and delivered an oral presentation on this year’s special topic, “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future,” according to the release. North Harford’s team excelled, securing a spot among the top three for their oral presentation.

The team consisted of returning members, Blake Carberry, Madalyn Caiazzo and Anna O’Leary, along with Frank DeLucia, a senior at North Harford and Jonathan VanBuskirk, a new member and senior at North Harford, according to the release. This year’s achievement surpasses their previous 10th-place finish at last year’s event in New Brunswick, Canada.

“I couldn’t be prouder of this exceptional group of students,” Laura O’Leary, North Harford Envirothon advisor said in the release. “They combine hard work and serious training with a great deal of fun. Securing third place in an international field is truly an outstanding achievement.”

“Being in the top three was our goal, but hearing our team announced felt surreal,” Caiazzo said in the release. “All our training and preparation had finally paid off, but it took a uniquely bonded team to get there.”

The North Harford Envirothon team is eager for the county and state contests in 2025 and hopes to compete in the international competition in Alberta, Canada, according to the release.