Powell Middle School’s Life Skills Lite and Life Skills students dumped five months of hard work out of several coolers and into Homesteader Pond on May 5.

The students helped tip the coolers and gently eased the confused fingerlings farther into the pond when they required a little push. 

This was the end of the students Trout in the Classroom project provided through a partnership with Trout Unlimited and Wyoming Game and Fish.

All in all, the students released roughly 50 young trout into Homesteader Pond, said Life Skills Lite teacher Michelle Giltner.

The students were also joined by representatives from Wyoming Game and Fish, who took time to educate students and answer questions. 

At the start of the project the students were given 150 rainbow trout eggs, joining more than 70 other schools in the hands-on effort to raise trout and release them into state approved waterways.

Giltner’s class and teacher Hartly Thorington’s Life Skills students have taken turns feeding the fish and maintaining water health. Not all 150 eggs made it to the finish line but the students were still able to release 50, a number Giltner had said back in January that she’d be happy with. 

They were joined by their classmates from seventh grade science led by teacher Stan Hedges. Dale Estes, a math teacher at Powell Middle, has been keeping an eye on the fish, Giltner said, and he and students from his class were also on hand for the release. 

Plans are already underway for next year’s batch of trout — Hedges has an idea to keep nitrate levels low for next year to help prevent fish loss.

“We are really excited to continue being part of Trout in the Classroom next year,” Giltner said. “Even though the students would like some kokanee salmon eggs next year, rainbow trout eggs will be just as amazing!”