West Middlesex schools to grow aquaponics program

May 23—WEST MIDDLESEX — When it comes to maintaining the aquaponics lab at West Middlesex Jr.-Sr. High School, eighth-grader Adalyn Cyrus has encountered more than a few challenges.

The mobile lab, which features a small aquarium topped with a layer of plants, combines aquaculture, the study of fish, with hydroponics, growing plants without soil — creating a cycle where fish waste becomes fertilizer for plants.

In some cases, the water's ammonia levels fluctuated or black spots appeared on plant leaves due to nutrient deficiencies.

But regardless of the challenges, the aquaponics lab has produced a variety of vegetables since it was introduced in March 2023, including peppers, lettuce and string beans.

"I love the data aspect of it," Adalyn said. "I love looking at the different factors and collecting data and trying to figure out what it means."

Adalyn, along with science teacher Jody Anthony and Assistant Principal Aaron Pernesky, had a chance to share their experiences during a virtual conference held on May 15.

The conference was organized as part of a Remake Learning Showcase Day, where school districts from multiple intermediate units across southwestern and northwestern Pennsylvania could network and share their aquaponics programs.

The aquaponics program was first introduced at the West Middlesex Area School District during the 2022-23 school year, after district officials participated in a joint PASmart grant application with the Midwestern Intermediate Unit I near Pittsburgh.

With the grant, West Middlesex schools, Laurel School District in Lawrence County and Butler Area School District in Butler County were able to implement similar aquaponics programs.

The program's introduction came as part of a statewide shift toward new STEELS science standards.

Whereas the state's previous science standards are more than 20 years old, STEELS — or Science, Technology, Engineering, Environmental Literacy and Sustainability — emphasizes a new approach revolving around science and engineering practices, cross-cutting concepts and disciplinary core ideas.

Officials have previously said STEELS makes science and engineering more accessible for students by incorporating more projects and hands-on learning opportunities.

The new standards are expected to be fully implemented at school districts by the 2025-26 school year, with subsequent state tests reflecting those standards.

Anthony said Adalyn is the main student overseeing the aquaponics lab, although there are some younger students Adalyn has introduced to the project.

"Right now the aquaponics lab isn't the main part of any science class, so when Addy works on it, it's usually during our independent period, or RTI," Anthony said, referring to the district's Response To Instruction periods.

School officials have plans to introduce more students to the project in the fall, including aquaponics classes and a field trip to the WestWinn Urban Ag facility in The Landing in Sharon on Nov. 13, Anthony said.

School officials are also planning on developing a larger aquaponics lab that could potentially host large species of fish, such as tilapia or even catfish, Pernesky said.

Even though West Middlesex was the only local school district to participate in the virtual conference, Pernesky said he understood other districts in the area, such as Grove City, were looking into aquaponics programs.

"It sounds like more and more schools are getting involved," Pernesky said.

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