Mississippi Aquaculture Program Highlights Importance of Technical Education in High Schools | Article

Kevin Jimenez, a student at Ocean Springs High School on the coast of Mississippi, is currently finishing his senior year and has his eyes set on the future. Jimenez is passionate about marine ecosystems and hopes to become an ocean engineer—a path he chose due to his involvement in a three-year aquaculture program offered by the school.

“Taking aquaculture has really influenced me to take this career path,” Jimenez said. “The class showed me the engineering aspects of aquaculture and connected me with the internship that I am involved in currently.”

OSHS Aquaculture Program Greenhouses

Photo Credit: OSHS

Ocean Springs High School’s aquaculture program is part of its Career and Technical Education (CTE) center, which seeks to connect students with a hands-on education in high school. According to the U.S. Department of Education, students who participate in CTE programs are more likely to have a higher annual salary eight years after high-school graduation than their non-CTE peers. These programs not only engage students in their learning but also connect students with educational opportunities beyond the classroom.

For example, the aquaculture program expands opportunities for its students by collaborating with local colleges, research institutions, and aquaculture, landscaping, and horticulture companies. Thanks to the program, Jimenez was able to intern at the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory this year.

At the heart of the program is Bryan Butler, a high school teacher who established the program in 2016 in collaboration with the Mississippi Department of Education. Butler currently teaches all three aquaculture sections for students in grades 10 through 12.

“We are very blessed to have a large Career and Technical Education (CTE) program,” Butler said. “We have 9 different CTE programs that are offered to the kids—and it’s all public education.”

Originally, the program was designed to focus on freshwater aquaponics systems in two greenhouses. Aquaponic systems are designed to raise fish and soilless plants simultaneously by using the waste from the fish as a natural fertilizer for the plants. Since then, the program has expanded to four greenhouses and includes a saltwater side as well. Students focus on different aspects of aquaponics in each year of the program, from developing their own freshwater systems in year 1 to working with a local research lab in year 3.

“All of our fish are released and put back in the water to try and offset the fish that are being caught,” Butler said. “I try to explain to my students that we are basically catching more fish and eating more fish than we could ever grow in the wild, so any form of aquaculture that we can try to put fish back into the water helps replenish the stock.”

According to Jimenez, releasing his fish at the end of each year is one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences of the class. But replenishing the ecosystem is only a small portion of what this program does for its community. The program also strives to make sure no vegetables, fish, or supplies go to waste.

The students prepare and distribute the extra vegetables to every teacher workroom and also donate some to the culinary CTE program at the school. In addition, if Butler has to remove any fish from the tanks, he also donates them to the culinary department to cook during class.

“I’ve also discussed supplementing the cafeteria with tomatoes, but the problem that I ran into is the fact that they go through so much food that there is no way that my facility itself would be able to keep up,” Butler said. “In the future, I plan to get back to them and have a greenhouse dedicated solely to the cafeteria and what they need.”

Additionally, at the end of each year, Butler and his students give back to the local community by donating their extra supplies to community members so that they can grow their own food. These supplies include extra seeds as well as trays of sprouts that the students prepare ahead of time for pick-up.

“We do this program every year,” Butler said. “At the end of the year, I give a local lady who is working on a community garden all of our extra supplies and she uses those supplies to give out to the community.”

Butler’s main priority is exposing his students to different aspects of the biology field in hopes of inspiring the next generation of environmental workers and community leaders.

“Some people get turned away from the field because it’s always in college or in a class behind a desk,” Butler said. “We spend 98 percent of our time outside in the greenhouses working on our stuff and the rest of the time we have is spent talking about the things we do and learning from it. I want them to enjoy working with their hands.”

Bryan Butler and his students

Photo Credit: OSHS

CTE programs like Butler’s aquaculture program can help establish an environmental workforce filled with passionate and highly-trained individuals. Graduates from CTE programs can enter the workforce directly due to the “middle skills” obtained in high school, or have a better idea of what they would like to study in college, improving their chances of graduating and reducing their debt burden. However, only 1 in 5 high school students choose to participate in a CTE program. Due to the underutilization of CTE programs, many young professionals are unable to fill the high demand for employment opportunities that require these “middle skills” (i.e., jobs that require more training and education than a high school diploma but less than a four-year degree). This, along with other factors, leads to an American workforce that fails to compete globally, an issue that could be lessened by investment in dynamic CTE programs.

For Jimenez, his involvement in a CTE program was transformational and he said he will miss the program tremendously after he graduates.

“Aquaculture teaches us how fragile the ecosystem can be and how certain invasive species of marine life can destroy it,” Jimenez said. “I already knew that our environment should be cared for, but taking aquaculture has given me new insight on how careers in environmental sustainability can help save the ecosystem.”

For other students interested in aquaculture, Jimenez encourages them to take the classes, think critically, and be creative.

“My advice for students who are thinking of getting into aquaculture would be to question everything, and never be afraid to implement your own ideas.”

Author: Sydney O’Shaughnessy