Educators across America understand the importance of hands-on learning. It has many benefits, including improved attention, better fact retention, encouraging teamwork, and a feeling of accomplishment. Not to mention how fun hands-on projects can be! At Mapletown High School in Southeastern Greene School District, students are taking part in a months-long, hands-on project that connects students to the environment, especially watersheds and their ecosystems—Trout in the Classroom.
Earth/Environmental Science teacher Amber Burkett has orchestrated this experience for her students for the past decade by working with the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. Students receive rainbow trout eggs and raise them through their life cycle, from egg to sack fry (or alevins) to fry to fingerlings. They keep the eggs and sack fry in a basket in the tank until they reach fry stage, when they release the fry into the tank system.
“Having trout in the classroom allows us to learn more about the environment and watch nature as it develops and thrives,” student Makenna Lotspeich shares. That includes the life cycle of trout, trout habitats, water quality and environmental needs, trout survivorship in hatcheries versus the wild, and trout streams in the area. The students are given a lot of responsibility, also, which they take seriously.
During the trout’s time in the school, the students in the Honors Environmental Science II class monitor and maintain the trout’s tank. They test the water three times a week, feed the fish, and ensure that the water quality and temperature are within the correct parameters for the fish to grow successfully. Once they’ve reached the fingerling stage, they release the trout in Meadow Run in Ohiopyle during the spring,
“The students take their jobs seriously; they want to see the trout succeed. All my students enjoy having them in the class and learning about the life cycle. Many students throughout the day check on them. They are excited to know that they will be added to a wild trout stream where they have a chance to survive and reproduce.”
Release day at Ohiopyle is more than just letting the trout into Meadow Run, an approved trout-release waterway. Prior to the release, students test the water quality at Meadow Run, ensuring that the conditions are better than what they had in their tank, necessary for the trout to survive. They also do programs with Ohiopyle educators.
“Releasing the trout into their natural habitat is satisfying to see. All our hard work pays off when we see that we have contributed to helping our watersheds,” says student Alexis Parry.
Hannah Kuntsen adds, “The hands-on learning and exploring at Ohiopyle makes it one of my favorite field trips every year.”
The trout are not just a part of the students’ education focusing on watersheds. Prior to receiving the trout, students completed a stream study of Whitely Creek to learn about water quality—an important part of successfully raising the trout. Mrs. Burkett’s class also participates in Catfish in the Classroom starting in October. The class raises channel cats that they release into the river in May. The differences in raising catfish versus trout is another educational opportunity because of their differing needs.