Trout in the Classroom

Dr. Jennifer Ripley Stueckle, Teaching Professor of Biology at West Virginia University, takes Department of Biology students into streams to teach elementary students about ecosystems. It’s not just science—it’s service.

The award-winning program and collaborative efforts bring local schools, community volunteers, and University students together in exploring the life cycle of rainbow trout through art and hands-on science. 

I'll have my students learn concepts. And then we invite elementary and middle school students to go out to streams and rivers around the area, and I have my students teach them those concepts out in the field.

- Dr. Jennifer Ripley Stueckle

About Trout in the Classroom

The character and wonder of the United States of America is embraced by the beauty and resources of its ecosystems and native species.  In this country, and West Virginia in particular, we are fortunate to have extensive stream, river, and aquatic systems filled with native wildlife that are supported by local and national organizations. 

Trout Unlimited's (TU) nationally recognized, science-based Trout in the Classroom (TIC) engages students in the program’s mission to protect and restore the nation’s water resources while fostering respect and love for the natural world. 

This “program (is) taught in an experiential and hands-on manner, which not only makes learning more fun but actually helps kids retain learning better.” The TIC project is designed to be completed in one academic year with students releasing the trout in a state-approved stream near the school or within a nearby watershed.  

Trout in the Classroom North Central WV

TIC in North Central WV started in the fall of 2019 with four tanks at two elementary schools in Monongalia County.  The fish were prematurely released in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Dr. Ripley Stueckle hosted a Facebook live event to release the fish, and that video was viewed over 1.1 thousand times that month.  For the 2024-2025 academic year, TIC in north central WV has grown to 24 schools in five counties.  Through grants, Dr. Ripley Stueckle has established all these systems free to the schools.  Curriculum includes numerous STEAM activities including create-a-fish anatomy lessons, watershed water movement activities, quilting, screen printing, and field trips for invertebrate collections and water quality testing.  At the end of the school year, trout releases are hosted across the region.