The Michigan DNR Salmon in the Classroom project starts with eyed eggs, a fish egg containing an embryo that has developed enough that the black spot of the eyes is visible through the membrane, and watch them hatch and become mini sharks. They see the intricacies of nature from birth and death to fish growing to be conjoined.
And years later, maybe they’ll even see them again in the Grand River.
“I think the coolest part for the kids is that they literally get to watch these from egg to this part of releasing them,” said Melissa Jachim, third grade teacher. “A lot of kids just buy fish out a store and don't really understand where they come from.”
Jachim is in her 11th year with the project, having started it at another National Heritage Academies (NHA®) school, Knapp Charter Academy. Over the years the project has been supported with supplies and equipment such as a 55-gallon tank and chiller unit to keep the water at 55 degrees from Water Colors Aquarium Gallery and Schrems West Michigan Trout Unlimited.
Now in Jachim’s third year at Walker, which has outperformed the district for 16 years, students have become familiar with the annual process of watching through the tank in her classroom and look forward to the release in the spring.
On Monday at Riverside Park, the salmon were transported from the classroom in a bucket to the Grand River. Students eagerly awaited their turn, kneeling to dip a bag into the river water to get the fish acclimated for a bit before saying goodbye and setting them free. This year they released 114 of the 150 eggs they started with.
Along with introducing salmon to the Great Lakes, Walker students also learn about sea lamprey, another invasive species. While salmon have helped managed the population of a baitfish called an alewife, sea lamprey attack native fish and disrupt the food chain.
“I feel like as the kids go up in years, they understand what’s going on and they start to understand what's going to happen,” she said. “It's fun to teach the kids about those kinds of things, but also the impact of our Great Lakes system and our water system and what happens when you release the goldfish into a pond.”
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About Walker Charter Academy
Walker Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Walker, Mich., serving students in Young 5s through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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