Editor’s note: Palmerton Area High School journalism students are providing periodic updates of events at the school.

By Kate Baumgardt’s Journalism Class

On April 8, the 2026 Envirothon competition was held at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center, and teams from multiple schools in Carbon County, such as Palmerton Area High School, participated in this event.

Envirothon is an annual event where teams of five students from several different schools complete tests that use knowledge based on multiple categories that involve the environment in order to educate students on the environment and humanity’s impact on it.

The categories of Envirothon are Soils, Aquatics, Wildlife, Forestry, and Current Issues. Three out of the four highest ranking teams were from Palmerton Area High School. A team named “The Dancing Dinosaurs” got fourth place, a team named “The Wet Raccoons” got third place, and the winner of the 2026 Envirothon competition for Carbon County was “Kate and the Freaky Pheasants.”

The first place team will be moving on to the state-level Envirothon competition, which will be held on May 20 at Camp Mount Luther, Mifflinburg.

FBLA

On April 12-15, Palmerton FBLA went to Hershey for the state competition. While there, they competed in their respective events, attended workshops, visited a college fair, and heard from speakers. They received many awards as individuals and as a whole chapter.

Sofia DeAngelis’ win was particularly exciting. She qualified for states all four years but had never made it on stage as a Top 10 finisher. This year, however, she won first place and qualified for Nationals in San Antonio, Texas.

Awards received:

8th

Hunter Cell — Data Science and AI

Addison Buck — Hospitality and Event Management

Jules Snyder and Mia Buck— Intro to Social Media Strategies

6th

Nathan Marlatt — Hospitality and Event Management

5th

Gavin Winninger — Tech Support Services

National qualifiers

4th

Dillon Borger — Job Interview

3rd

Brianna Avarado — Future Business Educator

1st Sofia DeAngelis — Future Business Leader

Chapter Awards:

6th place — William Seldon Outstanding Chapter Award

National Business Honors Society Inductees:

Janessa Blum

Hadlee Lake

Sofia DeAngelis

Dillon Borger

Nathan Marlatt

Sports

As of the date of writing of this article, for the track team, there was a meet on April 17. Palmerton’s Girls are 4-1, Boys are 2-3, and next week we compete against perennial powerhouse Southern Lehigh. Season ends the following Tuesday against rival Northern Lehigh. They had their senior night last night.

The girls at 4-1 are in a strong spot going up against a powerhouse like Southern Lehigh is actually a great measuring stick. Even if it’s tough, it’ll show exactly where they stack up heading into the final meet. If they compete well there, they’ve got real momentum going into Northern Lehigh. The boys at 2-3 are in more of a grind, but not out of reach.

A big performance against Southern Lehigh could flip the tone of the season, and rivalry meets like Northern Lehigh tend to bring out the best regardless of record. That last meet after Northern Lehigh’s senior night adds another layer. They’ll be emotional, which can go either way. If your teams stay focused, that’s an opportunity to capitalize.

Prom

On May 1st, Palmerton held their senior prom at Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie. Following tradition, they also held a Prom In The Park procession that afternoon.