SRU’s Trout in the Classroom program is making waves at Hillview Elementary School

Slippery Rock University faculty and students from the Biology Department met with third graders from Grove City Area School District’s Hillview Elementary at Wolf Creek in Grove City to investigate the creek habitat as part of the Trout in the Classroom project.

March 22, 2024

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — With Slippery Rock University's Giving Day approaching March 26 there will be a wave of appeals to support SRU departments and organizations that impact students and the local community. One program organized by two SRU professors is doing both, and proving to Hillview Elementary School students that any-"fin" is possible when groups collaborate.

The Trout in the Classroom project at SRU began in the spring of 2022 as part of a well-established national program started by the nonprofit organization Trout Unlimited to connect students to watersheds. The program structures activities for school-age children around raising rainbow trout and the need for clean water, which highlights the local waterways that become the home for the fish students raise in their classrooms.

Paul Falso, an SRU associate professor of biology, and Miranda Falso, an SRU associate professor of biology, introduced the program to local schools and have worked as a team to navigate the hands-on aspect of the program in the classroom and the administrative side.

"The Trout in the Classroom program has been a highlight of our time as biology professors at SRU," said Paul Falso. "We both grew up with a love of natural places, frequently fishing and exploring aquatic environments. Our fascination with the natural world led to continued studies and careers in science. The opportunity to bring the knowledge we gained through scientific studies back to our local community in a fun educational program has been extremely rewarding."

In November 2023, Paul and Miranda Falso and students from SRU's Biology Department met with third graders from Grove City Area School District's Hillview Elementary at Wolf Creek in Grove City to investigate the creek habitat. The trip included activities, workshopping and examining native creek critters, all in preparation for the trout to be released.

Now that spring is in the air, the eggs that the Hillview students raised in the classroom have hatched, and the third-graders plan to release the trout in May into the Wolf Creek in a culmination event highlighting the lifecycles of the trout and the roles the students played in raising the fish.

"I have had the privilege of working with the Trout in the Classroom program for about four years now," said Tammy Shaw, a teacher at Hillview Elementary School. "The students enjoyed counting the eggs, watching them hatch and then seeing them grow over the months. The students were each given their own fish to name and release, and then we celebrated with games, making lures, learning more about the trout and food. We're thankful for the opportunity to participate in the Trout in the Classroom program, and we're grateful for the ways it enriches student learning."

The Trout in the Classroom program aligns with the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Science, Technology & Engineering, Environmental Literacy and Sustainability standards set for third-grade level learners, which includes developing models to describe organisms that have unique and diverse life cycles, but all have in common, birth, growth, reproduction and death.

The program is broken up into four segments, of which students play a critical role. From exploring the ecosystem to releasing the trout they raised, the program thoroughly explores the lifecycle of rainbow trout.

If you are interested in continuing the lifecycle programs like SRU's Trout in the Classroom program, consider donating to this program on Giving Day. Designate "Trout in the Classroom" when you designate your gift on the Giving Day webpage.

For more information about the Trout in Classroom programming at SRU, contact Paul Falso at paul.falso@sru.edu or 724.738.2023.

MEDIA CONTACT: Aaliyah Thomas | 724.738.4854 | news@sru.edu