Launched this year by Lower School Science Teacher Ms. Elise de Geus, the Trout Scouts program brings the nationally recognized “Trout in the Classroom” initiative to Graland. Through the program, Grade 4 students are raising rainbow trout from eggs to fry, Living the Learning each day as they care for the fish and track how water chemistry, ecology, and human impact affect aquatic life.

Ms. de Geus said the idea took shape during a field trip with fifth graders to CSU Spur, where she encountered a large tank of juvenile trout and learned about the classroom-based program. “I was immediately intrigued and knew the trout program could tie into the fourth-grade curriculum around water chemistry,” Ms. de Geus said.

After applying to the program, Ms. de Geus attended “trout school” over the summer at CSU Spur and completed agreements with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which allows Graland to receive trout eggs and eventually release the fish into the wild. Personally, the program has been especially meaningful. Before becoming a teacher, Ms. de Geus worked as a zookeeper, and Trout Scouts has allowed her to reconnect with that background. “It’s allowed me to tap into the skills I learned as a zookeeper and share the joys and challenges of raising live, wild animals with the fourth graders,” she said.

The project is primarily housed within the Grade 4 curriculum, where students have taken full ownership of setting up and maintaining the trout tank since the start of the school year. Beginning in August, students learned how each piece of equipment supports the tank’s health, from the filter and chiller to the siphon used to add water. They then began a nearly six-week water cycling process to achieve the precise chemical balance trout eggs require to survive.

“The Trout Scouts used water chemistry tests to check pH, nitrate, and nitrite levels each day,” Ms. de Geus said. “They also helped grow a population of healthy bacteria that breaks down waste from the trout.”

When the eggs arrived, students carefully counted them and monitored any that did not develop properly. Now that the eggs have hatched and entered the fry stage, students continue daily testing, knowing this phase of the trout’s life is especially fragile. Food and waste can quickly shift water chemistry, making careful observation essential.

Ms. de Geus said the unit was designed to help students form tangible, real-world connections to scientific concepts. “Previously, we learned about stream health and ecology, but without the real-world connections, it was hard to conceptualize the water chemistry aspects,” she said. “We’re not just learning about water quality, we’re living it every day when we check the tank.”

Beyond academics, Trout Scouts has fostered a strong sense of community and shared responsibility among fourth graders. Students frequently share tank updates

with peers and answer questions from community members who stop by to observe the trout. The project has also created meaningful cross-grade connections, including opportunities for fourth graders to share the trout with their Kindergarten buddies.

“It’s a unifying project across fourth grade,” said Ms. de Geus. “Students will come in from different classes and tell me they heard a trout update from another class. They feel pride when members of the Graland community stop by the tank.”

Environmental stewardship is another key outcome. Students have learned that trout require pristine habitats to thrive, a realization that has made human impact on waterways more concrete. “One fourth grader remarked on how much equipment it takes to recreate a mountain stream habitat,” Ms. de Geus said. “That was eye-opening for many students.”

This spring, the project will culminate with the release of the trout at River Run Park in Littleton. On release day, students will host an informational booth for community members at the nearby trail, conduct a trash pickup and survey, and study macroinvertebrates—small insect larvae that indicate stream health and serve as a primary food source for trout.

The release day also connects to Grade 4 service learning, which has recently focused on public lands and state parks. “The students are building strong character by being responsible for 150 little trout lives,” Ms. de Geus said. “They’re engaging in citizenship by partnering with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and learning how fishing regulations and stocking programs protect ecosystems.”

Looking ahead, Ms. de Geus hopes Trout Scouts will extend beyond fourth grade. She plans to connect the trout tank to third-grade studies of mountain life zones and animal adaptations and to collaborate with teachers across divisions. The tank was intentionally placed in a public space so that all students can interact with it, reinforcing the sense that this learning belongs to the entire community.

What has surprised her most, she said, is the students’ commitment. “I have a consistent group of kids who choose to stay in from recess to check water levels,” Ms. de Geus said. “I knew they’d be excited, but the consistent care they’ve shown has been a wonderful surprise.”

Through this program, the water chemistry unit has been transformed, as Grade 4 students grow into engaged citizens and thoughtful leaders beyond the classroom. 



Watch the video at graland.org/trout