Westglen Aquaponics

Making a splash: we are cultivating food and student curiosity!

As a school we have been getting our feet wet, so to speak, developing a new learning opportunity for our students! 

Dustin Moreau has set up an aquaponics station in his classroom this year, successfully growing lettuce - and more recently strawberries! 

What is aquaponics? It is a way of producing food that couples raising fish with hydroponics (growing plants in water). 

The set up in our school currently involves a barrel that contains tilapia fish. The fish came to Westglen School a few months ago, as tiny fish about an inch long. They have grown to be about a foot long. Their waste is filtered and cleaned, and then used to fertilize the plants in the container above the barrel. 

“The students are really interested in, and engaged with our aquaponics project,” says Dustin Moreau. “There is definitely high interest.” 

“We are excited about this learning opportunity for students for many reasons,” says Carolyn Masse, Principal. “Our agricultural roots run deep in Didsbury and developing aquaponics will give our students a chance to explore new methods of food production. It's the idea of having food go from ‘field to table’ except in this case with a twist,” she says. 

Massel says, “The option will also expose students to potential careers, deepen their appreciation for food production, give them the opportunity to understand the business side of agriculture, and connect them in a hands-on-way to what they are learning in their science classes.”  

Our school will be working with Mr. Moreau to expand the set-up for the 2025-26 school year with more equipment, made possible with grant funding, and options classes for students. 

We anticipate the equipment will be set up in the entryway to our school when it arrives, so families and community members can see it.