Temecula Prep Gets $3K Boost from LEGO Children's Fund for Trout Project

LEGO Children’s Fund has awarded Temecula Preparatory School an approximately $3,000 grant to put toward its upcoming Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) project called “Small Fry to Go.

Abbreviated as SFtG, the project involves building a “labitat” on campus in order for students to observe thousands of Rainbow trout grow from tiny eggs before releasing them into a natural habitat. The project meets Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) criteria.

The award from LEGO Children’s Fund is in addition to $500 Temecula Prep already received from Supervisor Jeff Stone through a Community Improvement Designation Fund grant.

“The total cost is $8,640 for the first year and then it decreases tremendously for the subsequent years once the labitat is built and we've purchased the equipment,” said Denee Burns, director of development and public relations for Temecula Prep and Heritage Classical Charter Schools.

About 3,000 Rainbow trout eggs are slated to arrive at the Winchester campus Jan. 20. The students will then observe the transformation process, which takes about six weeks. By March, plans are to release the small fry into Lake Perris.

The hands-on project is tailored to students in kindergarten through eighth-grade; however, since the public, K-12 charter school has an integrated campus, Burns said high school students who want to be involved are encouraged to participate as aides or mentors.

This will be the first time the nationally-acclaimed project is carried out by a campus on the West Coast, Burns noted.

“We are very grateful to LEGO Children’s Fund for their generosity to Temecula Prep for its STEM/Rainbow Trout project,” stated Headmaster Scott Phillips. “We appreciate its support for TPS as a public, charter school which provides a solid, well-rounded, virtue-based, rigorous, tuition-free education to the local community.”