Fish for Stratton's Reef Ecosystems

What We Need:  Stratton Elementary School is trying to fundraise $1000 to buy a diverse assortment of tropical fish and invertebrates for our school's Coral Reef Ecosystem Project.  

We have the amazing opportunity  to get a discount price from one of the best livestock providers: Quality Marine.   They are putting together a custom made package of amazing fish, starfish, shrimp, clams, crabs and more for each of our 5  reef tanks.   





About Our Project:   This year I have created a coral reef ecosystem project at Stratton Elementary School that has the goal of teaching students science through highly interactive “hands on” experiences and supporting the growth of positive social and emotional skills. 

The project consists of 5 coral reef ecosystems in classrooms and main areas around Stratton elementary school.  The entire ocean ecosystem is represented from microscopic plankton, corals, anemones, crabs, starfish and shrimp to small and large fish.  The reef ecosystem is an integral part of Stratton’s Micro-society curriculum and students from every classroom can apply to work on the project and do all aspects of the project from the maintenance of the equipment to educational outreach and fundraising. 

Lead student managers receive intense formal instruction in chemistry and marine biology from me and then in turn teach all the other students who work on the reef ecosystems or are interested in learning more about the project. 

The work that we do involves an almost adult level of scientific skill and effort.  The chemical and biological understanding required to keep the ecosystems functioning is very complex.  On a daily basis, students culture phyto and zoo plankton, feed the livestock and maintain the equipment, measure and test water chemistry, and make scientific observations about the biological interactions and the health of the animals.  Students also learn how to propagate coral, treat sick fish, and do other complex chores that keep the organisms healthy and functioning. 

Unfortunately our project doesn’t get any financial support from the Unit 4 School District and though I’ve personally given over $20,000 and we’ve had many generous donations, we don’t have an ongoing source of funding and continually have to fundraise for each addition to our project.

This project is invaluable for our students and we can't do it without your support, please consider donating.