Trout in the Classroom project reels kids in for STEM learning in North East schools
NORTH EAST — North East elementary students are saying goodbye to 1,500 rainbow trout that they raised from eggs.
They're releasing the fish into Lake Pleasant this month.
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Kindergarten through fifth-grade students in the STEM & Vine afterschool program raised the fish with help from their classmates at North East School District's Earle C. Davis Primary School and Intermediate Elementary School. North East Middle School and North East High School students also served as adoptive parents, helping to feed the fish and to check water temperature and quality.
"I felt good releasing my fish, but I kind of wanted to keep him because I like fish," Bryce Lawrence, 8, said at Lake Pleasant on Thursday.
His friend Logan Keith, 8, added, "It was fun."
The fish eggs were provided by the Trout in the Classroom program of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited. STEM & Vine provided the tanks, water chillers and other supplies needed to incubate and raise the trout.
"All of that provided a multitude of educational opportunities, and not just for kids in the afterschool program. Tanks were located in K-12 classrooms across the district," said Amy Burniston, STEM & Vine director and chairperson of the Mercyhurst University education department.
The STEM & Vine afterschool program was developed by the university and funded by a $500,000 Pennsylvania Department of Education grant that also provided a STEM teacher for North East secondary students.
Students learned about trout life cycles and anatomy and about trout habitat.
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"They have so many questions. They're bursting with them," said first-grade teacher Mary Jo McFeely. McFeely also works with STEM & Vine students. "To see their excitement is astonishing."
Their young caretakers also learned to like the fish.
"They all seemed very attached to them," Burniston said.
"I expect there will be a bit of mixed reaction when we release them," McFeely said.
The fish are being released at Lake Pleasant because it's deeper and cooler than other area lakes and more comfortable for rainbow trout. Releasing the trout into Lake Erie tributary streams could affect the steelhead population.
STEM & Vine students could see some of their fish again. They learned to cast a line, tie flies, and reel in a catch during visits by Sons of Lake Erie and Trout Unlimited members.
What is the STEM & Vine program?
More than 215 North East students participate in the afterschool STEM & Vine program launched this school year to teach kids about science, technology, engineering and math, as well as computer science, as it relates to their community.
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"STEM & Vine presents concepts that are grounded in the context of the students' community, including its industry and the natural phenomena in their backyard," Burniston said.
North East is known for trout fishing. It's also part of the world's largest concord grape region. In addition to raising trout, STEM & Vine students looked at soil composition and extracted grape DNA to determine local grape lineage. They also grew food from seed through hydroponics and canned what they harvested.
Students also are learning about giving back to their community, planting pollinator gardens at Gibson Park, cleaning benches, painting picnic tables and more with help from North East in Bloom, Wabtec, local fire departments and governments, Erie County Conservation District, Mercyhurst University and other organizations for STEM, Stocking and Service Days.
Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@timesnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: What can a trout teach? About science in North East kids' backyards
