Something new is hatching at Robertson High School this year as 30 trout swim their way into the classroom. FFA students have been caring for rainbow trout at the school since January, when a nationwide program called Trout in the Classroom helped bring in live trout eggs, said agriculture educator Mabelle Roybal.
Roybal said a small group of FFA students, including eighth graders Donovan Gonzales, 14, Mateo Sanchez, 13, and seventh grader Vincenzo Padilla, 13, have been entrusted with caring for the trout since they hatched in January. The students feed the fish every day, Roybal said. They also ensure the water temperature is adequate and that the fish are growing.
"We've been wanting to do fish for a very long time," said Roybal, who also heads the Robertson High School and Memorial Middle School FFA program."This year was the first year we were able to get it done."
The fish live inside an aquaponics system – a system that circulates water between the fish and indoor plants. This is part of a hydroponics system – one that supplies the plants with the nutrients they need via water. Roybal said she learned about aquaponics and hydroponics through a program called GerminATE, an acronym for Growing and Empowering Rural, Minority, and Indigenous Communities with Advanced Technical Education in Controlled Environment Agriculture.
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