DRBA and Martinsville City Public Schools partner to bring kids to park

May 10, 2023

The trout population of the Smith River just grew a bit larger thanks to a partnership between Martinsville City Public Schools and the Dan River Basin Association and a grant from the National Park Trust.

The Trout in the Classroom program has been in place at MCPS since 2008 and this year’s release was a huge success. DRBA staff and all of Albert Harris Elementary’s second grade students gathered along the banks of the Smith River in Fieldale to release the brook trout that the students have been raising in their classroom since October. Students were able to observe the behavior of the trout once they were introduced to the water and were fascinated to see the fish change color to better match their new environment.

“Albert Harris Elementary has partnered with DRBA for the Trout in the Classroom program for more
than a decade,” said AHES STEM teacher Laurie Witt. “This excellent program provides our students
with the chance to engage in real-world field experiences as elementary students.”

DRBA staff also showcased some of the macroinvertebrates that inhabit the Smith River, including
crayfish, hellgrammites, and caddis flies, that will serve as food sources for the trout as they continue to
grow outside of their classroom tank. A few brave students even touched some of the live specimens!

The day of outdoor education continued at Philpott Lake where students, with the help of Martinsville
High School AP Biology students, participated in activities designed to educate them on the importance
of environmental stewardship, including an eco-blitz, litter cleanup, and a lesson on the history of
Philpott Dam and Philpott Lake from park ranger, Dillon Brown. Groups also did water quality testing
of the Smith River to learn about the health of their local waterway.

“We are thankful for the partnership with MCPS,” said Krista Hodges, DRBA’s Education Outreach
Manager. “This field trip allowed the students to make the connection between releasing their trout into
the local cold water river and the health of the environment in their own community. By participating in
a stewardship activity like the litter clean up, they were protecting the health of the young fish that they
had worked so hard to care for in the classroom.”

DRBA’s mission is to preserve and promote the natural and cultural resources of the Dan River
watershed through recreation, education, and stewardship. DRBA provides environmental education
programming to schools throughout Virginia and North Carolina.

This immersive outdoor educational experience was made possible by a grant from the National Park
Trust’s Kids to Parks Day School Grants Program. The grant allowed students to transform their local
park and major waterway into outdoor classrooms, offering them the opportunity to connect what they
have been learning in school to real-world experiences with the natural resources in their own
community.