Salmon, orca, sturgeon, hummingbirds and hawks are swirling, swimming and flying across the gates at Meadowdale Elementary School in Lynnwood, thanks to the Stream of Dreams. This British Columbia-based organization uses art activities, science education and a hearty dose of fun to teach schools and communities about their local watersheds and how their actions can ensure healthy habitat for aquatic wildlife in nearby waterways.

Fifth-grade teacher Rani Kettel spearheaded bringing Stream of Dreams’ Fish on Fences program to the K-6 school that serves approximately 420 students. She secured grants from the Foundation for Edmonds School District (the Elizabeth Ruth Wallace Project Grant) and the Tulalip Tribe to make it possible. The school’s Parent Club also provided financial support. “These funds allowed all our students to participate at no cost, which is especially nice since we are a Title 1 school,” Kettel said. (To be considered a Title 1 school, a minimum of 40% of the students must qualify for free or reduced lunch.)

During the week of Sept. 16, two Stream of Dreams educators taught students about their local watershed, where their water comes from, where it’s going and what they can do to prevent water pollution. The week’s highlight: painting wooden animals in an exuberant spectrum of colors.

Fish on Fences culminated on Sept. 21, when teachers, students, family members and Stream of Dreams staff installed hundreds of hand-painted creatures on the metal gates of the school’s courtyard.

In the coming weeks, Kettel will take students on a field trip to nearby Meadowdale Beach Park and Estuary Restoration Project “to connect the lessons they’ve learned about taking care of fish habitat to the real world – like not stomping through streams or letting dogs play in them.”

“I really hope the mural encourages other educators to bring Fish on Fences to their schools,” Kettel said.

— By Clare McLean