#Nottingham elementary pto full#

The program kicks off in early November when the school takes possession of about 250 to 275 brook trout eggs from the hatchery. “And they emphatically stressed the fact that this is NOT a stocking program it’s an education program.” “They taught us tank maintenance, trout life cycle expectations, water quality issues, and the importance of keeping water cold enough, between 52 and 54 degrees,” said Stephens.

#Nottingham elementary pto full#

When the Pocopson teachers first initiated the program in 2013, they were required to attend the PF&BC’s full day training program. After that it’s on us to raise and release them.” We get our brook trout eggs each year from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s (PF&BC) hatchery in Benner Springs near Bellfonte. “It’s a great way to educate the kids about coldwater resources and the importance of protecting outdoor habitats. “The Trout in the Classroom program has become an integral part of our science curriculum’s ecosystem unit,” explained Stephens, a twenty year veteran teacher at the school. This year’s six classes of fifth graders, about 130 students in all, participated in the Pocopson program. At Pocopson it’s a part of a curriculum that’s coordinated by a trio of fifth grade teachers – Ryan Stephens, Andy Lefko, and Dave Lichter, themselves all avid freshwater fishermen. It’s something called “Trout in the Classroom,” (TIC) an outdoors oriented learning program currently enjoying huge popularity in educational circles.

It’s also happening at Greenwood Elementary School in Kennett, Nottingham Elementary School in Oxford, and hundreds of other schools all across the Commonwealth. KENNETT SQUARE-There’s something fishy going on at Pocopson Elementary School in the Unionville Chadds Ford School District.