Gene Dillon Students Release Rainbow Trout in Outdoor Science Program

Today, a group of fifth graders took part in a science class they won’t soon forget.

At Gene Dillion Elementary in Bemidji, the end of the school year also means a field trip to Clearwater River to release rainbow trout. The students have been learning about the fish for a long time. This is a part of the Trout in the Classroom initiative, which hopes to bring students closer to nature.

One of the program’s biggest supporters is Mr. Jeffery Wade. He has taken his students through the program since it began over a decade ago. His classroom was the first in the state to take part in Trout in the Classroom.

Not only do these students learn about the rainbow trout, but it also is an opportunity to learn about the entire ecosystem and their part in it. The students hope their fish quickly learn to adapt to their new life in the wild.

Mr. Wade is retiring this year, so this was his last time hosting this field trip with his class.