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Fourth graders from Trinity Elementary School journeyed to Rockefeller State Park on April 8 to release 125 trout fingerlings into the Pocantico River. 

The trip marked the completion of a six-month “Trout in the Classroom” project that saw the students raise the juvenile brown trout from eggs. Along the way, students learned about the life cycle of trout, the need to protect our waterways, and the connection between humans and the ecosystem.

On release day, students from Griselda Pena’s class and Terri Agravat’s STEAM class were joined by partners at New York State Parks and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, who helped them acclimate and release the trout.

Students learned about how the trout’s needs will be met in their new natural habitat. They also observed macroinvertebrates that the trout eat in the wild, such as caddis fly larvae, scuds, and threadworms.

Now in its seventh year at Trinity Elementary, the Trout in the Classroom program, sponsored by Trout Unlimited, a nationwide not-for-profit dedicated to conservation, teaches students the importance of protecting water quality. 

For a period of six months, students help feed the trout and monitor the water quality of the tank. They test levels of pH, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates in the water and learn about stream ecology, aquatic habitats, watershed protection, trout anatomy and life cycle, and the food chain.

“This amazing first-hand experience allows students to make connections between the trout, the environment, and our precious water resources. It helps to foster a sense of environmental stewardship in our students,” said Agravat.

The students were excited and protective of the fingerlings they had raised.

“I think it was so much fun. I learned that the trout need it to be around 50 degrees,” said Catherine A. “Hopefully, no one eats my trout.” 

Idris M. said, “It was fun and different. I liked releasing the fish.” 

Like a proud parent, Amelia A., declared the fish “really cute.”