Chickens, Salmon, and Plants OH MY! by Colby Way, teacher in the Kenai Peninsula Boro School Distric
- Our Alaskan Schools Blog
- Jan 23, 2019
- 2 min read
Community outreach is a key aspect of the Port Graham Middle School, grades 5-8 (multi-grade classroom). Each year we, as a class, choose from a teacher created list of community out-reach projects. Two years ago (school year 16-17), we formed a collaboration with the Port Graham Hatchery and ADF&G to participate in the salmon rearing program: Salmon in the Classroom.
Last year (school year 17-18) we decided that we would continue with Salmon in the Classroom and provide a service to the community by raising chickens and donating the eggs to the community elder’s program director, “hatching” the Eggs to Elders program. So, what could we possibly do for the 18-19 school year? Indoor farming!
Port Graham School received a grant to build the Chena Grow Tower, a vertical hydroponic system made using everyday hardware store items. The first semester was dedicated to design and assembly while semester two has been designated for maintenance and delivery of fresh lettuce to the community elders. Not to leave the salmon and chickens out of the fun, they too are a large part of our community programs in the 18-19 school year.
As if our year hasn’t been packed enough with STEM-style projects and community outreach, our salmon initiatives have gained the attention of Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association (CIAA), overseers of the Port Graham Hatchery, and we have created a further collaboration with the hatchery staff. Once a week, the middle school students travel to the hatchery and participate in on-the-job training and skills that are applicable to real world scenarios. This partnership has sparked units in salmon biology, introduction to and proper use of shop equipment, and knot tying. Semester two of this collaboration holds further study of the previous units and applications.
We maintain a high level of rigor and expectations with our everyday curricula. The students meeting the expectations and rising to the challenges presented, has allowed for our class to participate in such wide ranging, real world, tactile lessons. The students rely on us as educators, and we as educators rely on the students to strive for their goals. This mindset and understanding will only propel this middle school group to meet those goals more efficiently. GO KILLER WHALES!
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