On a spring day in May, 42 students from Cory Kadlec’s Roosevelt Middle School seventh-grade science class concluded their six-month “Trout in the Classroom” program with the release of over 70 brown trout fingerlings in a coldwater spring creek near Rockford, IL. The River Forest Middle School was one of 10 area middle schools and high schools who participated in the Oak Brook chapter’s eighth year of Trout Unlimited’s grass roots environmental education program. Over 4,000 students have participated in the program.
The 42 Roosevelt seventh graders represented Mr. Kadlec’s “Trout Team”—those students who volunteered out of 190 students across seven classes to personally take responsibility for raising the brown trout from eggs to fry to their final “hands on” streamside release.
According to Mr. Kadlec, “The most important lessons provided by the program are: nature is accessible; middle school students can be interested in the exciting world of Life Science; middle school students can be advocates for coldwater fisheries now and into the future; and being involved with trout and other people who care about coldwater fisheries can be inspiring and a lot of fun.”
Youth Education Contact: [email protected]
