WINONA LAKE – Julie Martin’s third-grade classroom at Eisenhower Elementary School recently became home to an aquarium of local fish. Part of the Lake in the Classroom program operated by Grace College’s Kosciusko Lakes and Streams center, this marks the 20th aquarium placed in a Kosciusko County school or community center this school year. That’s more than they’ve had any other year. “This is a milestone. It showcases tremendous community support and confirms the success of the program,” said Anna Burke, Lakes and Streams program manager. “Best of all, it means we’re reaching more students than ever with a message of the importance of being educated about our water resources in order to better care for them.” The 20 aquariums are distributed throughout the county and can be found in the Warsaw, Wawasee and Whitko school corporations. A participating classroom receives not only an aquarium with local fish and plants but is also supplied with a library of freshwater ecology books. This is so students can learn about the science of local lakes and streams and about what they are observing in the aquarium. “I am excited for the class and me to have this live educational experience,” said Martin. “I look forward to having the students observe and journal.” KLAS staff provide ongoing support to the teacher and class throughout the year and disassemble the aquarium prior to the summer. This year’s Lake in the Classroom sponsors are City of Warsaw Stormwater Utility, Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation, Silveus Insurance Group, Syracuse Lake Association, Dekko Foundation, CenturyLink, Louis Dreyfus Commodities, Paragon Medical, Wawasee Property Owners Association and Winona Lake Preservation Association. Kosciusko Lakes and Streams is a center at Grace College that focuses on applied research, education and community collaboration. For more information on Kosciusko Lakes and Streams, visit water.grace.edu
