Trout in the classroom
Trout in the Classroom
Trout in the Classroom (TIC) is a unique educational experience that generates enthusiasm among students and helps them develop caring attitudes about fish and their habitat. Through TIC, hundreds of students in Middlesex and
Students raise the trout from eggs, witnessing their development and participating in their growth by feeding, monitoring the tank temperature and balancing chemical levels. Students participate in a variety of educational activities from October to May which may involve science, math, language arts, social studies and art. Once the trout are old enough they are released into local, approved rivers to live out their lives in their natural habitat.
Freehold SCD initiated a Trout in the Classroom (TIC) partnership, with Trout Unlimited, and has provided equipment (valued at $1,000 each) to 13 schools, one community college and one environmental center to raise NJ Brook Trout from eggs to fry. TIC is a hands-on activity that engages students and helps connect them to real-life water quality, fish and wildlife issues and inspires them to seek solutions.
The following are 2009-2010 participants for TIC:
| School | Municipality | Contact Person |
| Warnsdorfer School | E. Brunswick | Adriana Sarapochillo |
| South River Middle School | South River | Gayle Martinez |
| Middlesex Co. Vocational Technical High School | E. Brunswick |
Lisa Ann Moschera |
| Voorhees Elementary | Old Bridge | Heather Sanft |
| Middletown High School North | Middletown | Kevin Sullivan |
| St. Jerome School | W. Long Branch |
Joan Tagliaferro |
| Greenville School | Howell |
Elyse Blocher |
| Eisenhower Middle School | Freehold Township |
Lexine O'Grady |
| Allentown High School | Allentown | Denise Emmons & Byron Nolan |
| Freehold Intermediate | Freehold Borough |
Shaun Blessing |
| Manasquan Environmental Center | Howell |
Alison Astalos |
| Voyagers' Community School | Farmingdale | Diane Lowrie & Karen Giuffre |
| Brookdale Community College Sandy Hook Station | Highlands | Bob Macaluso |
| St. Rose High School | Belmar | Sheryl Bergman |
| Collier High School | Morganville | Pablo Samuel |
Freehold District office also houses a tank as part of an educational program to raise awareness within the building community that development and construction projects can have an impact on trout habitat and water quality. Soil can run off a project site, down storm-drains and directly into nearby brooks, streams or rivers where trout eggs are laid. Increased sediment in streams also leads to higher water temperatures – rising to levels where trout cannot survive.
Go to: www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/tic.htm or www.njtroutintheclassroom.org/ to link to more TIC statewide information and resources.
Students in Gayle Martinez's South River Middle School Class test their tank water.
Middletown High School South students feed their trout under the guidance of Kevin Sullivan.
