NORTH ATTLEBORO - North Attleboro High School will send a championship-quality team to Gardner next month, but not to compete on the gridiron, the baseball diamond or the track.

For the third time, the school is fielding a team to compete May 10 in the Massachusetts Envirothon at Mount Wachusett Community College.

Five-student team

The five-student team will be among teens representing 60 public and private schools across the Bay State in the competition, which challenges students' environmental and scientific knowledge while engaging them in a series of related tasks.

Participants in this year's envirothon team are Kevin O'Brien, Sarah Kahn, Regina Correa, Ashley Hazelton and Elise D'Adamo, said teacher and advisor Donna Cochrane. Presentation, 'eco-stations'

Students, who prepare for the competition during the year as part of their science curriculum, are required to make a prepared presentation.

They also rotate through four "eco-stations" where they are required to perform tasks that demonstrate their environmental knowledge such as conducting soil analysis and identifying plants.

"It's a great experience for students to represent their school or organization in a statewide competition testing their knowledge of wildlife and current environmental issues," said Massachusetts Envirothon Committee Chairman Tom Anderson of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

North Attleboro last competed in the Envirothon in 2005.