2022 MASSACHUSETTS ENVIROTHON RULES for In-Person competition (download as a pdf)

Approved December 2022 

The following rules are approved by the Massachusetts Envirothon Steering Committee (MESC), a sub-committee of the Massachusetts State Commission for Conservation of Soil, Water, and Related Resources created to administer the Massachusetts Envirothon program.

1. The Massachusetts Envirothon program is open to teams of high school aged students from grades 9 through 12. Team members must attend the same school or be a member of the same club or community organization.  No more than one group of ten may represent a school, club, or community organization.

2. Each team must have at least one Coach. If more than one coach is involved then a lead coach must be designated, with others designated as Assistant Coach(es).

3. In order to participate in a Massachusetts Envirothon event, teams must follow all registration procedures for that event. Teams are expected to arrive on time and participate fully.

4. For the May Envirothon in-person competition, Schools can send up to 10 students in 2 teams.

• • Teams can be as few as 3 and many as 5 
  • Any team can win or place at any station (including Current Issue)
  • Only teams of 5 can qualify for NCF
  • Only teams of 5 can qualify for first through fifth place overall
  • Only one (the higher scoring) five-member team per school can qualify for first through fifth place overall

5. All teams must compete at all 5 stations (including the Current Issue). 
6. At least five members of a team must participate in the May competition in order for the team to qualify to compete in the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) Envirothon. If, due to unusual circumstances on the day of the event, only four members of a five member team are present at the Massachusetts Envirothon event, the Massachusetts Envirothon Steering Committee will review that team’s individual case. The Massachusetts Envirothon Steering Committee may permit the four members to compete at all stations and their scores may be counted toward qualifying to compete in the NCF Envirothon.

7. Teams with fewer than five registered members will be permitted to participate at the May event. Their scores will be counted as part of the competition, but they will not qualify to advance to the NCF Envirothon.

8. Teams must be accompanied to all Envirothon events by the team Coach or Assistant Coach. Transportation to and from events will be the responsibility of the participating team.  The Coach assumes all responsibility for the health and well-being of their students during all activities associated with the Envirothon. 

9. The Team and Coach(es) together will be responsible for assuring that team members demonstrate proper conduct and follow Envirothon and host facility rules at all times at all Envirothon events throughout the year. If a problem arises, a member of the Envirothon Steering Committee will call the team together to solve it.  If the problem cannot be solved, the team will be sent home.

10. Coaches may not have any contact with their teams from the opening to the closing of competitive activities on the day of the competition, except for emergencies not related to the competition and when they observe their team’s Current Issue presentation. During the Current Issue presentation session they may not interact in any way with the team or each other on topics related to the competition.

11. No electricity will be available for presentations and no electronic presentations of any kind will be permitted during the competition.

12. No electronic or communication devices may be on the person of any team member during the competition.

13. Teams may bring and use reference materials and visual aids only to support their presentations at the Current Issue station or to provide evidence for their community awards submissions, or to aid their roundtable discussions. (Presentation materials must be stored in the designated location, when teams are not at the Current Issue Station.) The Massachusetts Envirothon will provide all other reference materials and guides necessary for the event.

14. The winning team will be the team with the highest cumulative total points out of 500. Each station is 20% of the total score.

15. Only authorized persons will be allowed in the Scoring Room.

16. The winning team has the opportunity to represent the Massachusetts Envirothon at the NCF Envirothon. The Massachusetts Envirothon Steering Committee may contribute towards the cost of attending the NCF Envirothon.  For purposes of participating in the NCF Envirothon, the winning team is defined as five members and one Coach.  The winning team must select this five member team from the list of team members who qualified to participate in the state competition.  At least four of these members must have participated at the state competition. Any additional changes must be submitted to and approved by the Massachusetts Envirothon Steering Committee.  If a full contingent of the winning team is unable to attend the NCF Envirothon, the Coach shall notify the Massachusetts Envirothon Steering Committee of that fact within one week of the Massachusetts Envirothon event.  The second place team will be asked to take their place. 

17. The team attending the NCF Envirothon must meet the eligibility criteria set forth in the NCF Envirothon Rules. The Massachusetts Envirothon Steering Committee and the Massachusetts representative to the NCF Envirothon is the liaison with the NCF Envirothon and will handle communications with the NCF Envirothon regarding team eligibility, rules, and clarification of all issues related to the North American competition.

18. The team that has the honor to represent Massachusetts at the NCF Envirothon shall operate under the authority of the Massachusetts Envirothon Steering Committee and shall operate under the guidelines provided by the Committee. The team must also comply with all rules of the NCF Envirothon.

19. The Rules of the Massachusetts Envirothon will be reviewed on an annual basis by the Massachusetts Envirothon Steering Committee. The Rules are subject to change.  Any changes will be explained to team Coaches at the earliest date possible.  Any changes that have to be made in case of unusual circumstances on the day of the Massachusetts Envirothon event will be made by the Massachusetts Envirothon Chair and explained to the Coaches on that day.

20. The Massachusetts Envirothon Steering Committee will appoint a five member Grievance Committee each year. Anyone wishing to file a Grievance must follow the Grievance Procedure.  All decisions of the Massachusetts Envirothon Grievance Committee shall be final.  Judges comments and interpretation on the current issue scoring sheets may not be appealed.

21. In the event of a tie for first place in the overall competition, a tie breaker provision will be used to determine the first place team.

22. All Massachusetts Envirothon teams must sign a form stating that they agree to abide by all of the Rules of the Massachusetts Envirothon. Failure to abide by the Rules will be grounds for disqualification.

23. Massachusetts Envirothon educational programs are open to schools or organizations with teams training for the Massachusetts Envirothon. All students attending programs must meet the eligibility requirements in Rule #1.

 

Massachusetts Envirothon 2022  Grievance Committee

Members TBA

The Massachusetts Envirothon Steering Committee (MESC) is a sub-committee of the Massachusetts State Commission for Conservation of Soil, Water, and Related Resources.  The Massachusetts Envirothon Grievance Committee acts with full authority of the MESC.

 

Grievance Procedure

 

1).  The Massachusetts Envirothon Steering Committee will appoint a five member Grievance Committee.  They will be known as the Massachusetts Envirothon Grievance Committee (MEGC).  At least one member of the Envirothon Grievance Committee will be a Coach.  In the event that Coach or their team is somehow involved in the Grievance, the MEGC will choose another coach on the day of the event.

2).  The Massachusetts Envirothon Committee will develop and approve an official grievance form.

3).  Only registered team members and/or Coaches can file a grievance.

4).  The Grievance must be in conflict with the stated Rules of the Massachusetts Envirothon.  Grievances may be submitted for explanations of decisions made during the competition, classification of Massachusetts Envirothon rules or to request reconsideration of decisions made during the Massachusetts Envirothon event.

5).  The Grievance must be submitted in writing on an official grievance form available at the Registration table on the day of the event.

6.)  The Grievance must be filed with the registration table attendee no later than 15 minutes after the last station period horn/bell or within 24 hours after the end of the Massachusetts Envirothon competition (based on when the knowledge of the conflict occurred).

7.)  The Massachusetts Envirothon Grievance Committee will immediately convene and make a determination on the Grievance through a majority of the vote.  The determination shall include:

a). Validity

b). Actions/Resolutions

8.)  Decisions of the Massachusetts Envirothon Grievance Committee shall be final and shall supersede those made during the competition.