Pennypack Students Turn Waters Into Trout, Neshaminy Creek Into Classroom

Dozens of children were crouching by the creekbed at Tyler State Park on Friday morning to release trout into the steel-colored waters of Neshaminy Creek.

The Hatboro Horsham School DIstrict said that second- and fourth-grade students at Pennypack Elementary School have raised the trout since from eggs for the last six months as part of Pennsylvania’s Trout in the Classroom initiative.

Click here to see a video of the children with the trout.

“Students learn about coldwater conservation while raising brook trout from eggs to fingerlings in a classroom aquarium,” the Trout in the Classroom website says.

Teachers at individual schools tailor the program to their needs, the site says, meaning that Pennypack teacher John Schumann was able to design the curriculum that was the best fit for his students.

The program is co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Boat Commission and Trout Unlimited, a national conservation organization.

The school received a $1,300 grant for the program from the Hatboro Horsham Educational Foundation.

Trout season officially began in Neshaminy Creek and surrounding waters on April 4.

All fishermen must purchase a license before fishing.