Seventh graders had to let go of their minnow sized trout into a stream near Roaring Run Furnace in Botetourt County.
Teacher Marilee Weikel says the students raised the fish in the classroom, “We started out as eggs and we watched them move through their different developmental processes."
Seventh Grader Tyler Williams said, “In the classroom, it really wasn't enough for them to survive because we didn't have enough ripples and hardly any oxygen with a lot of fish.”
After the release, the students spent the rest of day learning about the life cycle for trout, like what they eat and even how to fly fish to catch brook trout.
Weikel say the trip was important for students because they got to learn the entire life cycle of the trout in their natural habitat.
“Kids don't go out and play like we used to and experience nature. So I think its important for us and its one of my goals to get them outside,” said Weikel.
Most of the kids agreed that the best part of the day was releasing the trout that they had spent so much time developing.
"I think they had kind of bittersweet feelings because they knew it was the right thing to do, but they also were like their babies,” said Weikel.
Williams said, "For me it's kind of hard because we've raised them and taken care of them. So its like a mother letting her child go to college."
A tough lesson in life, but the students learned the trout had to move on to survive.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement