The 17th Annual New England Frag Farmers Market was the biggest single day Coral Trade Show in the country, and the Berlin Middle High School’s Aquatics program was one of the participants.
Held at Storrs, Connecticut, on March 2, the show featured over 150 exhibitors, including coral and fish vendors, aquatic equipment companies, guest speakers, and workshops.
Last year Berlin High School’s Marine Biology and Physics teacher, Mr. Matthew Christian connected with partners from the Via Aquarium and Capital Coral to kick off a coral growing program. This program accompanies the Moon Jellyfish project and Brown Trout Program that are features in the BMHS Young Aquatics Lab, thanks to Mr. Christian and Brown Trout program coordinator BHS Earth Science teacher Mr. Nicholas Toole.
Students in Mr. Christian’s Marine Biology class, as well as his independent study students, have been growing coral and raising Moon Jellyfish over the last year in preparation for New England’s coral show. It was held at the E.O. Smith School, adjacent to the University of Connecticut.
The students brought their coral and aquatics lab stars, the Moon Jellyfish, to trade and sell at the event, where they met other vendors and school groups and were able to attend three workshops. It was an enriching and exciting day for the students to explore the event and the busy university town of Storrs.
Berlin Middle School Science teacher, Mrs. Mary Lou Hunt, was amazed by the scale of the event and what the experience held for the Mountaineers.
“It was so fun to see the excitement that people had when they saw our jellyfish!” said Mrs. Hunt. “I had no idea that the show would draw such a huge crowd.”
She was fascinated by seeing “what over 150 vendors of coral and aquarium supplies would look like.”
Berlin High School Mountaineers who attended the event: Madison Lenyk, Jamison Curtiss, Elizabeth Hunt, Cole Jones, and Spencer Sheridan.
Marine Biology students and independent study students who were a part of the project but unable to attend, included: Madison Casey, Layne Chaykowski-Jewett, Seamus Faulkner, Christopher Shorter, Jaid Vazquez, Marissa Yerdon, Madison Bell, Haylee Jones, McKenzie Lowell, and Vivian Whelan.
Berlin High School Spanish teacher and Aquatics Lab assistant Ms. Karen Day was also on the trip and brought some new residents home to the BMHS aquatics lab. Her highlight was a new starfish she named Chocolate Chip (Protoreaster nodosus).
Mr. Christian, Ms. Day, Mrs. Hunt and the Mountaineers were able to sell or trade all of the species they brought. This in turn resulted in many new critters joining the Young Aquatics Lab family:
- Anchitosia queenslandensis – Red Biscuit/West African Biscuit Starfish
- 2 Tridacna maxima – Fluted giant clam
- 2 Lysmata amboinensis – skunk cleaner shrimp
- 3x Cyphastrea sp – coral
- 2x Porites coral
- 1x Zooanthid coral
- 1x Acropora sp -Staghorn coral
- 1x Caulastrea – coral
- 1x unidentified – African sea fan
- Chocolate Chip – Starfish – Protoreaster nodosus
- Nepthea sp.- Green leather coral
Mr. Christian would like to thank the BCSD PTO for funding the t-shirts that were created and designed by BES teachers Mrs. Bersaw and Mrs. Scanlon! It made the Berlin Mountaineer team look official at their first event. Also, a thank you to our BCSD Transportation Department for making the trip possible.
Mr. Christian hopes this trip will generate more excitement for the program and looks forward to more opportunities like this in the future.
“I am so happy that our students had the opportunity to attend and take part in this enriching and exciting day,” concluded Mrs. Hunt.
Find a video with highlights from the event and dive into the Berlin High School Young Aquatics Lab in the YouTube link below.
Go Mountaineer Aquatics!!!