Fourth-graders at Bullskin Township Elementary are raising one of Pennsylvania’s most prized game-fish species — rainbow trout — in their classrooms.
Sponsored by the General Braddock’s Fish Club, the educational experience is part of the state Fish & Boat Commission’s Pennsylvania Trout in the Classroom Program.
Teacher Kelly Reynolds – who says she loves “everything about science” – is leading the program along with colleagues Julie Alesantrino and Kelli Reese.
On Friday, Reynolds asked her students if they were enjoying the program, and the response was applause and enthusiastic cheers.
Earlier this month, Fish Club members delivered 150 rainbow trout eggs from the Fish & Board Commission to Reynolds’ classroom, said Mike Parlak, the club’s co-nursery manager.
Parlak said the club also donated equipment necessary for the program, including an aerator and chiller.
Aerators are necessary to move water in a tank to ensure fish have enough oxygen. A chiller keeps water at a safe, cool level preferred by trout.
Students began to learn about trout production even before the eggs arrived at Bullskin — as Fish Club sponsored a field trip for students at its nursery.
The club raises thousands of trout each year for stocking in the Youghiogheny River in Connellsville. Among its efforts, the Fish Club sponsors fishing derbies that are open to young anglers.
“We showed them how the nursery functions and they got to feed the fish,” said Parlak, adding the students and their parents will be invited to the riverbank on a day the club stocks fish.
In the days since they arrived at Bullskin, the trout have hatched and now are considered “fry,” said Reynolds, a 16-year Connellsville Area educator.
Parlak said when first hatched, the fish feed on their “yolk sacs.”
Reynolds anticipates the children can begin to feed the fish next week.
The students will learn more about trout growth and healthful aquatic conditions throughout the process.
“They will test the water to make sure the ammonia level is not toohigh make sure nitrate levels are good,” Reynolds said. “The kids love doing it and they are learning so much.”
After the eggs hatched, the students were excited to see the trout swim around the bottom of the tank, she said.
When the rainbows reach fingerling size they will be released into a Fish & Boat Commission approved waterway, Reynolds said.
Parlak estimated that will occur when the trout are 4- to 6-inches in length.
While this is the club’s first Trout in the Classroom sponsorship, Parlak said it is seeking other district classrooms to participate in the program.
“What pleases me most about the program is that the General Braddock’s Fish Club started out stocking fish in Connellsville for kids,” he said.
“We want young anglers to continue the fun of fishing and to learn about it.”
The club has begun to move more toward conservation and giving back to the community, Parlak said, adding it is launching a scholarship program this year.
For the organization to continue its goal of establishing the Youghiogheny as a rich fishery, the club needs to get younger people involved, he said.
“If we want to sustain a nursery and program for the good of the community and environment, this program is fantastic,” Parlak said of Trout in the Classroom.
“The kids were beside themselves with excitement and Mrs. Reynolds’ enthusiasm was off the chart.”
He said such programs as Trout in the Classroom and fishing events are valuable.
“They get kids close to nature, learning about nature, with things that are enjoyable to them and free to them,” Parlak said. “It doesn’t have to be a video game.”
While fish-hatching is new, Reynolds has long provided students with egg-to-life experiences in the classroom.
Each year, the students incubate duck eggs and watch them hatch into ducklings.
“This is definitely a hands-on approach and learning experience,” Principal Jamie Bielecki Quinn said of the trout project.
She said it is amazing for the students to watch the process from egg to tiny fish to trout large enough to survive in the Youghiogheny River.
Bielecki Quinn said the same is true with the duck projects, seeing them hatch, grow and develop feathers that can allow them to fly away and survive as adults.
“I appreciate the General Braddock’s Fish Club for purchasing what is needed for the project, to sponsor Mrs. Reynolds and answer questions,” she said. “It really supports the school and her project.”
“This is a great opportunity for our students,” Superintendent Dr. Joseph Bradley said. “It’s a nontraditional, hands-on approach that can appeal to learners beyond lectures, reading a book or a pen and pencil.”
“I am proud of Mrs. Reynolds for taking the initiative to do this.”
Trout in the classroom is a partnership between the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited and the Fish & Boat Commission. It is open to students in grades three through 12.
On its website, the Fish & Boat Commission indicated applications are available in environment and ecology, science, mathematics, social studies, language and fine arts, and physical education.
It allows students to explore myriad topics like trout life cycles, aquatic adaptations, water resource conservation and watersheds.
Classrooms end the year by releasing their trout into a “Stocked Trout Waterway,” near the school or within a nearby watershed.
Since 2008, the program has grown from 90 to more than 400 participants.
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