Students in science classes at Southern Vance High School again this spring participated in the “Shad in the Classroom” project, a unique program led by the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences.
The program provided training, tanks and eggs to 23 schools along the Neuse and Roanoke River Basins in mid-April. At Southern Vance, students helped raise the eggs to young fish and used their observations and experiences to learn concepts related to the shad’s survival, the species’ cultural and biological importance, its ecological connections to other species and the significance of genetic integrity to population studies. The program heightens knowledge and awareness in future generations of an important migratory fish.
The students maintained the fish hatchery, including testing and maintaining the correct water quality and temperature, for several days before releasing their fish into the Neuse River.
Southern Vance has participated in the shad project for several years, under the leadership of biology teacher Jennifer Howard, who also heads the school’s Science Department.
The project also receives significant logistical and financial support from the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The American shad is a migratory fish that spawns in freshwater rivers along the East Coast and lives its life in the Atlantic Ocean. By working with this fish, the students received hands-on learning experiences that follow the state’s standards of learning and enhancing their appreciation of the Neuse and Roanoke River Basins. The experiences also may inspire future careers in science.