By Joe Campbell, Principal

Now in its 40th plus year, the school district’s Salmonid Program saw Cleveland Elementary recently receive over 100 chum salmon eggs.

The eggs received a warm welcome from students and staff, and are guaranteed to spend the next few months being showered with attention, love, admiration…and food!

As the eggs mature and grow into salmon that will be released into our local rivers, so grows the learning taking place in the classroom.

Grade 2 students in Mme Cusanelli’s class, which received 44 of the salmon eggs, will observe the eggs as they hatch and develop into alevins and then fry, before they are released into Mackay Creek in the spring.

Children will learn about the salmon life cycle, environmental factors that favour the development of the salmon, and the importance of salmon to the First Nations communities along the coast of British Columbia.

This year, five Grade 7 students, who are members of the Cleveland Salmon Squad, are also working with Mme Cusanelli. These students are learning how perform tests to check the pH of the water, as well as how to test for the presence of ammonia.

As Mme Cusanelli explained, “Their assistance in the classroom will play a large role in maintaining a healthy environment for the developing salmon.“