Eels in the Classroom
Eels in the Classroom (EIC) started as an experimental, small-scale environmental education opportunity provided by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission in 2018 and has grown into a valuable yearly program that teaches hundreds of students across the Susquehanna River Basin about American eels. Headed by fisheries biologist Aaron Henning and environmental scientist Johanna Hripto, the program provides juvenile American eels to educators to raise in their classrooms and ultimately release back into the Susquehanna River. The EIC project partners with other natural resource agencies and the operators of Conowingo Dam who have been collectively working to bring eels back to their native waters. Students learn about the value and importance of migratory fish through the ecosystem functions they perform.
Eels in the Classroom Poster Contest!
Contest artwork by Joyanna Lynn, SRBC Intern
Join our first Eels in the Classroom poster contest! Open to preK-12 students from schools with a SRBC tank of eels for the 2026-2027 school year.
Contest is open September 14th-October 31st with winners announced via email to EIC teachers on November 16, 2026.
All artwork must be original and hand drawn. NO digital or AI art is accepted.
Artwork will be judged in four age categories:
- Lil’ Leptocephali: (preK-2nd grade)
- Elvers: (3rd-5th grade)
- Yellow Eels: (6th-8th grade)
- Silver Eels: (9th-12th grade)
Posters will be judged on the following criteria:
- Artistic integrity
- Creativity and aesthetics
- Strength of American eel conservation message
Each age class will have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize winners, with one overall winner. Winning artwork will be featured in a calendar with photo credit – with the grand prize winner featured on the cover – so please use 8.5” x 11” LANDSCAPE design when creating your poster!
Winners’ schools receive a free calendar, and the digital file will be available for all classrooms to create calendars on their own as a fundraiser option for additional eel tank supplies.
How to Enter
Submissions must be scanned images or a PDF of a photograph of your artwork. Submit entries online via this Google Survey. Submitted artwork becomes property of SRBC which may be used in educational or public displays.
EIC Participants
In 2018, the first EIC program included two participants: Lewisburg Area High School and the Bradford County Conservation District. Since then the program has grown by word of mouth to include participants in the table below. If you are an interested PA or MD school, please fill out the form at https://www.srbc.gov/our-work/american-eels/contact.html. For interested NY schools, please submit requests to the Upper Susquehanna Coalition (USC).
| School District/Organization | Years |
|---|---|
| Abington Heights School District (Clarks Summit Elementary School) | 2019, 2021-2026 |
| Athens Area School District (Athens High School) | 2023-2026 |
| Athens Area School District (Harlan Rowe Middle School) | 2025-2026 |
| Benton Area School District (L.R. Appleman Elementary) | 2024-2026 |
| Big Spring School District (Big Spring High School) | 2025 |
| Bloomsburg Christian School | 2021-2022 |
| Bradford County Conservation District | 2018-2025 |
| Cameron County School District (Woodland Elementary) | 2026 |
| Canton Area School District (Canton Area High School) | 2023-2026 |
| Central Columbia Area School District (Central Columbia Middle School) | 2025-2026 |
| Central Dauphin School District | 2024 |
| Chenango Forks School District (Chenango Forks High School) | 2026 |
| Commonwealth Charter Academy | 2025-2026 |
| Conestoga Valley School District (Conestoga Valley High School) | 2021-2026 |
| Cumberland Valley Eagle View Middle School | 2022 |
| Dallas School District (Dallas High School) | 2026 |
| Danville High School (Danville High School) | 2019, 2021-2026 |
| Derry Township School District (Hershey High School) | 2023-2025 |
| Diocese of Harrisburg (Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic School) | 2024-2026 |
| Diocese of Scranton (Epiphany School) | 2024-2025 |
| Donegal School District (Donegal Intermediate School) | 2024-2026 |
| Elizabethtown Area School District (Elizabethtown Area Middle School) | 2025-2026 |
| Elmira City School District (Beecher Elementary School) | 2026 |
| East Pennsboro High School | 2019, 2021 |
| Galeton Area School District | 2023-2026 |
| Glendale School District (Glendale High School) | 2026 |
| Grier School | 2026 |
| Harford County Public Schools (North Harford High School) | 2024-2026 |
| Harrisburg Academy | 2022, 2023-2026 |
| Harrisburg Area School District (Commonwealth Charter Academy) | 2025 |
| Hempfield School District (Landisville Education Center) | 2022-2026 |
| Hershey Area School District (Hershey High School) | 2023-2026 |
| Homer Central School District (Homer Central High School) | 2026 |
| Huntingdon Area School District (Huntingdon Area High School) | 2025-2026 |
| Jersey Shore Area School District (Jersey Shore Area Senior High School) | 2025-2026 |
| Juniata County Conservation District | 2021 |
| Juniata County School District (East Juniata High School) | 2022-2026 |
| Juniata County School District (Juniata Elementary School) | 2022-2026 |
| Juniata County School District (Juniata High School) | 2021-2026 |
| Keystone Central School District (Central Mountain High School) | 2023-2026 |
| LaFayette Central School District (Onondaga Nation School) | 2025-2026 |
| Lampeter Strasburg High School | 2022 |
| Lebanon School District (Lebanon High School) | 2026 |
| Lewisburg Area High School | 2019, 2021-2023 |
| Lower Dauphin School District (Nye Elementary) | 2024 |
| Loyalsock Township Senior High School | 2019 |
| Luzerne Intermediate Unit (Lighthouse Academy) | 2025-2026 |
| Lycoming College | 2023-2026 |
| Lycoming County Conservation District | 2026 |
| Manheim Central School District (Doe Run Elementary) | 2021-2026 |
| Manheim Central School District (Manheim Middle School) | 2021-2026 |
| Midd-West School District (Middleburg Elementary School) | 2025-2026 |
| Midd-West School District (Midd-West High School) | 2025-2026 |
| Mifflin County School District (Mifflin County High School) | 2022-2026 |
| Millville Area School District (Millville Jr/Sr High School) | 2022-2025 |
| Milton Area Senior High School | 2019, 2021-2023 |
| Milton Hershey High School | 2022 |
| Montour Preserve (The Vernal School) | 2024-2026 |
| Muncy School District (Muncy Jr/Sr High School) | 2025 |
| North Central Secure Treatment Unit | 2022-2026 |
| North East Secure Treatment Unit (Pittston) | 2025 |
| North Rome Christian School (Grace Christian Academy) | 2024-2026 |
| Northeast Bradford School District (Northeast Bradford High School) | 2022-2026 |
| Northeastern York | 2023 |
| Northwest Area School District (Northwest Middle/High School) | 2025-2026 |
| Onondaga Cortland Madison BOCES (OCM BOCES) | 2026 |
| Otto-Eldred School District | 2024 |
| Oxford Academy & Central School District (Oxford Academy High School) | 2026 |
| Palmyra Area School District (Palmyra Area Middle School) | 2022-2026 |
| Red Lion Area School District (Red Lion Junior High School) | 2022-2026 |
| Salt Springs State Park | 2025-2026 |
| Sayre Area School District | 2023 |
| Sayre Area School District (H. Austin Snyder Elementary School) | 2026 |
| School District of Lancaster (Reynolds Middle School) | 2026 |
| Shikellamy School District | 2024 |
| South Williamsport Area School District (South Williamsport Jr/Sr High School) | 2026 |
| Southern Columbia Area School District (Southern Columbia Middle School | 2023, 2025-2026 |
| Southern Columbia School District (Faith and Friends PreSchool) | 2025-2026 |
| Southern Tioga School District (Liberty Elementary School) | 2023-2026 |
| Sugar Valley Rural Charter School | 2024-2026 |
| SUNY Charter School (Finn Academy) | 2025-2026 |
| Susquehanna Community School District (Susquehanna Community High School) | 2022-2026 |
| Susquehanna County Conservation District | 2024-2026 |
| This Is My Quest Conservation Center | 2023-2026 |
| Tioga County Secondary Education Facility | 2023 |
| Tioughnioga Riverside Academy (Whitney Point Central School District) | 2025-2026 |
| Towanda Area School District (Towanda Area Jr/Sr High School) | 2025-2026 |
| Towanda Area School District (Towanda Elementary School) | 2026 |
| Troy Area School District (Troy Intermediate School) | 2023-2026 |
| Troy Area School District (Troy High School) | 2026 |
| Valley View School District | 2019 |
| Warwick School District (Warwick High School) | 2023-2025 |
| Waverly Central School District (Waverly High School) | 2025-2026 |
| Wellsboro Area School District (Wellsboro High School) | 2021-2026 |
| West Shore School District-Cedar Cliff | 2023 |
| Wilkes-Barre Area School District (Heights-Murray Elementary School) | 2026 |
| Williamsport Area School District (Williamsport Area High School) | 2023-2026 |
| Windsor Central School District (Windsor Central High School) | 2026 |
| Wyalusing Area School District (Wyalusing Elementary School) | 2023-2026 |
| York Academy Regional Charter School | 2026 |
| York County School of Technology | 2023 |
| York Suburban School District (York Suburban Middle School) | 2022-2026 |
Lewisburg High School
Juniata High School
Abington Heights High School
The Vernal School Environmental Education Partnership at the Montour Preserve in Danville, PA offers a great opportunity for virtual learners to see elvers up close from any location. Special thanks to Vernal School staff, The Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, the Montour Area Recreation Commission and Fessler IT Consulting for creating and maintaining this unique opportunity.
Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Live Stream
For more information, please visit The Vernal School’s website.
Donegal Intermediate School in Marietta, PA also offers a livestream of their tank, located in the library for all students to see. Students in 3rd-6th grade learn about the American eel as part of their STEM and library classes. Special thanks to Mr. Wulfkuhle, Ms. Shoemaker, and library staff for creating and maintaining this unique opportunity.