St. Mary’s students release trout into Ellicott Creek

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Trout with names like “Tiger” and “Bubble Nugget” were released into Ellicott Creek Monday morning.

“I thought it was really fun to raise the trout and even though some of them died, it was still a lot of fun to go through the cycle and watch them,” said Julia Costello, one of the third year students responsible for breeding trout.

Costello and his classmates at St. Mary’s of Swormville have been raising them since the start of the school year.

“They worked to feed them, we worked to explain to the kids how water temperature works and the differences between the creek and the reservoir that we’ve had all year,” Health and Phys said. Ed. » said Professor Harrison Reeds.

All thanks to a DEC program called Trout in the Classroom. Students started with a tank of cold water and 100 eggs.

“It was definitely filled with mixed emotions, because we had a few casualties along the way.” said Kristy Witkowski, third grade science teacher. “For me, it was seeing that excitement and those ah-ha moments.”

Retired teacher Polly Lougen first introduced the program to St. Mary’s in 2017.

“It’s very important, it teaches children the value of nature and God’s creation and how beautiful nature is,” she said.