Flemington Students Release 70 Trout Into Raritan River After 7 Months Raising Them

FLEMINGTON, NJ — About a dozen sixth-graders from Reading-Fleming Intermediate School released more than 70 rainbow trout into the South Branch of the Raritan River at Sunnyside Park last week, marking the end of a seven-month conservation education program that wove science, math, art and pen pal exchanges into the care of live fish.

Under the supervision of Hunterdon County park rangers, students joined their parents and teacher Lisa Coster to release the 3-to-5-inch rainbow trout — hatched from the Pequest Trout Hatchery — into the water.

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The release was the culminating activity of Trout in the Classroom, an interdisciplinary conservation program supported by a Sustainable Jersey grant.

Over the course of the program, students monitored the development of approximately 250 trout while conducting water chemistry tests, maintaining tank conditions and studying aquatic ecosystems.

Cross-curricular activities spanned science, mathematics, language arts, technology, art and music. Students also exchanged letters with peer classrooms across the country, learning about other classrooms' fish — including one named "W" for its unusual body shape — and forming hypotheses about environmental and developmental variation.

One trout, nicknamed "Pikachu" for its small size and distinctive tail, became a class favorite.

"Our hope is that by caring for and learning from the trout, our students will gain yet another hands-on learning experience to make them better environmentally conscious stewards," said Coster.

Student artwork was also a prominent part of the program. Inde Yan Jr., who immigrated from the Philippines in 2024, contributed original illustrations of the trout and classroom experiences that were later enlarged into posters and displayed at the school's Earth Day celebration and the Raritan Township Green Fair.

Plans are underway to compile a digital book of pen pal correspondence and student artwork as a record of the inaugural program. Trout in the Classroom is expected to continue next school year.

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