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Owatin Creek Elementary

Grades K-4 | 610-406-4580

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Directory

Owatin Creek ELEMENTARY

5000 Boyertown Pike | Reading, PA 19606
(610) 406-4580

Click Here For A District Directory
  • Office

    x8002 Charlie Payne, Principal
    x8000 Karla Tryon, Attendance Secretary
    x8004 Andrea Williams, Secretary

  • Counselor & Psychologist

    x8031 Paola Cordova, School Counselor K-2
    x8141 Emily Perri, School Counselor 3-4
    x8032 Joanne Miano, Psychologist

  • Nurse

    x8006 Susan Templin

  • Technology Support

    x8016 Kristin Kenagy

Note: Faculty phone numbers go to voice mail during school hours

  • Kindergarten

    x8207 Meghan Motze
    x8203 Melissa Murphy
    x8205 Karen Okonski
    x8201 Christine Vogt
    x8206 Wendy Warchol

  • Grade 1

    x8225 Stephanie Arnold
    x8226 Francine Daniels
    x8216 Cristina Stoudt
    x8223 Amy Wright
    x8224 Catherine Zervanos

  • Grade 2

    x8234 Meghan Bezler
    x8235 Marjorie Haines
    x8215 Thomas Hirshorn
    x8236 Danielle Jupina
    x8237 Kimberly Smith

  • Grade 3

    x8122 Brooke Beane
    x8124 Joseph Bertolet
    x8121 Stephanie Douglas
    x8123 Kristen McBride
    x8114 Carole Moyer

  • Grade 4

    x8132 Alisse Auchenbach
    x8148 Marie Clark
    x8134 Steven Dibler
    x8133 Alexandra Schlotzhauer
    x8135 Karina Tramont

  • Reading & Intervention Specialists

    x8249 Tina Greth, Reading Specialist
    x8146 Tiffany Mell, Reading Specialist
    x8246 Jennifer Schuster, Reading Specialist

  • Special Education

    x8232 Dana Caron, Life Skills
    x8125 Jennifer Elliott, Learning Support
    x8131 Erika Moyer, Learning Support
    x8214 Taylor Schollenberger, Learning Support
    x8245 Kathleen Walker, Gifted
    x8221 Jill Weaver, Life Skills

  • Specials

    x8410 Diana Bogust, Physical Education
    x8441 Britta Hyneman, Art
    x8423 Amanda Mrenna, Music
    x8415 Emily Reppert, Instrumental Music
    x8014 Allison Swoyer, Library

  • Therapists

    x8417 Jessica Dimitriadis, Occupational & Physical Therapist
    x8248 Sydney Manwiller, Speech Therapist
    x8417 Monika Touri, Occupational & Physical Therapist

Home » Students Raise Nearly 250 Trout to Release in Antietam Creek
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Veoleta Stoica (left) and Parker Benfer (right) hold their fingerling trout before releasing it into Antietam Creek (below)

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Ms. McBride scoops out a fingerling from a bucket to give to student to release into Antietam Creek

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Jeiden Acevedo carefully puts his hand over his cup with his fingerling so it didn't jump out before he had a chance to release it into Antietam Creek

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Lorane ESL students release their fingerlings into Antietam Creek

It’s not often that classroom “pets” are released into the wild–much less nearly 250 of them–but that’s exactly what happened this week when students from around the district had the opportunity to raise baby trout from eggs to “fingerlings” as part of “Trout in the Classroom.” This year, students from all three elementary buildings had the opportunity to be a part of the months-long curriculum, which is taught in classrooms throughout the US and Great Britain, and aims to teach students connections between trout, water resources, the environment and themselves by having students learn about aquarium setup, ecosystems, the life stages of fish, the environment of waterways, and then putting their knowledge to the test by raising fish from eggs to fingerlings (a young trout), eventually releasing them into an approved waterway. 

Students start by learning and setting up a cold-water fish tank in January. Soon afterwards, they receive baby fish eggs, which live in an "egg basket" until they're developed enough to eat fish food on their own and be released into the full tank. In the tank, they grow and mature until they’re old enough to survive on their own and be released into a natural waterway. Throughout the process, students learn about the life cycle of the fish as they develop from an egg to a fingerling. Students keep a journal of their learning experience by drawing pictures and writing about aquarium equipment, fish stages, ecosystems and the waterways.

In Ms. Kristen McBride’s third grade classroom, students hosted the aquarium and shared their experience with Trout in the Classroom with their third grade penpals from Mrs. Stacia Miller’s Jacksonwald classroom, with whom they started writing letters to earlier this school year. Parker Benfer from Owatin Creek said that she loved writing to her penpal Veoleta Stoica at Jacksonwald about what it was like to raise the fish–as well as other subjects such as their shared love of pizza. The two, who just met in person for the first time on Monday morning, laughed together as they held a clear cup containing their fingerling. “I really liked that we all were able to be together today and get a chance to take turns releasing the fish,” said Parker. Veoleta agreed, glancing at the fingerling swimming in her cup, and said, “Don’t you think it is just so cute?”  

At Lorane, students in all grades had an opportunity to visit with the fish in Mrs. Kellee Fries’ ESL (English as a Second Language) classroom as her ESL students acted as ambassadors, bringing their classmates up to her classroom to visit the aquarium and teach them about the life cycle of the fish and what they were learning. This allowed students to sharpen their English skills, while also learning about the life cycle of fish. Jeiden Acevedo, a fourth grader in Mrs. Marburger’s class, said he really enjoyed that he was given a leadership role to help Mrs. Fries clean and care for the aquarium. “I really enjoyed helping her change the water and helping her test the water in the tank,” he said. But he felt particularly proud when his class was invited into Mrs. Fries’ classroom to learn more about the fish and he was able to lead a lesson on how to care for aquarium water. “When my class came over, I had to teach them how to change the water because they didn’t know what to do.”

This week, on Monday, Owatin Creek and Jacksonwald released 102 fingerlings that they successfully raised into the Antietam Creek in Happy Landings, while Lorane released 136 fingerlings into the creek on Thursday. It was a bittersweet moment for many of the students who took pride in their role in helping raise the fish. “I’m glad we all had a chance to take a turn,” said Parker, as she and Veoleta held their cup together and watched their fingerling swim away in the creek. 

Owatin Creek Elementary School

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Address & Contact Info

  • 5000 Boyertown Pike
    Reading, PA 19606

  • Phone:
    610-406-4580

  • Fax:
    610-898-0910

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Our Schools

Exeter Township Senior High

Exeter Township Junior High

Reiffton School

Jacksonwald Elementary

Lorane Elementary

Owatin Creek Elementary