A life cycle lesson by Perkiomen Valley Middle School West seventh graders came full circle last week in Schwenksville.
According to 6abc, the middle schoolers spent the past year studying the life cycle of trout and its relationship to its cold water ecosystem. On May 9, the students released the trout into the waterways at the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy.
Science teachers Danielle Emers and Damico Ponzio oversaw the students’ raising and investigation of the trout. In February, the class reported that the trout had functional swim bladders and were eating on their own. The teachers experimented with roots from Pothos plants to keep nitrates down in the tank, according to a Facebook post from the school.
Over the course of two days, the students conducted their trout releases, according to Perkiomen Valley School District Foundation. First, students released the trout into the Perkiomen Creek, and then did six activities to measure the creek’s health. These activities included checking the physical quality and water chemistry of the creek, and inspecting other macroinvertebrates, according to the foundation. Students also focused on external factors that impact trout populations.
The “Trout in the Classroom” program is also in effect at Perkiomen Valley Middle School East and in fourth grade at Evergreen Elementary School.
The Pennsylvania Trout in the Classroom program allows state schools to raise trout from eggs to fingerlings. Teachers Kevin Tomlinson and Kelly Voicheck proffered the program to the Foundation in March 2022.
It is the second round for Evergreen in the program, and the first go-around for the middle schoolers. The first batch of trout eggs arrived in classrooms in January.
Read more on the program here.
