Back in October, EJR third-grade teacher Sarah Levato got 125 brown trout eggs through the Trout in the Classroom program.

Her students have been keeping a trout journal throughout the school year. They learned about the lifecycle of the trout and looked forward to them becoming fingerlings so they could release them.

 

 

 

That day came in May and the students took a field trip to Verkeerderkill Park to release the fingerlings into the stream there.

 

 

Before that, though, they took the walk down to the stream and learned about the plants and rocks and water from Ms. Lovato’s dad, Rich Schirrman, who was an elementary teacher in Pine Bush. It’s a family tradition actually – Ms. Lovato’s mom, Donna, is also a retired elementary teacher from the district.

 

 

Mr. Schirrman talked along the walk about how trees make their own food from the sun and how some plants are lucky to be near poison ivy so no one will come near them and cut them down. He showed them how trees and plants turned toward the sun to get their sunlight for nutrition.

 

 

When they made it to the stream, Mrs. Schirrman gave the students instruction on how to properly set the fingerlings free. Once the fingerling was in their measuring cup with water, the students held their cup, gently tipping it into the stream so more water met it. They held their cup in place until the fingerling swam away.

 

It was a wonderful learning experience about our local environment and a great opportunity for the kids to get out in nature right here in Pine Bush.