St. James Touch Tank Fundraiser Down to the Wire

Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach Courier
By Ward Peck, Staff Writer

Biddeford, Maine -- Students at St. James School had an extra incentive to meet their annual fundraising goal this year. Instead of the usual pizza party, they will be able to enjoy a permanent addition to the school: a salt-water touch tank to be filled with mollusks, crabs, fish and other sea creatures.

"We thought a great way to get parents enthusiastic about our PFTA fundraiser would be to offer an exciting educational tool that we would have for many years," said Roberta Ferreira, St. James’ activities director.

The goal is to sell $59,000 worth of wrapping paper, gifts and confections from the Kathryn Beich company. The school will keep half the money raised and use $3,500 to help pay for the $7,000 touch tank.

The remainder of the money raised will go toward textbooks and to help fund the curriculum.

Speaking last week, Ferreira was confident the school would reach its goal. "We are already the top selling school in Maine and usually have a participation rate of 85 percent," she said. "With this kind of motivation, I think this year it will be closer to 100 percent."

After the fundraiser ended on Monday, Sept. 19, her confidence seemed to have waned somewhat.

"It’s going to be very close," she said. "We won’t know for sure until Wednesday probably."

By press time on Tuesday it was unclear if the school had reached the goal.

If the children do reach the goal, the other half of the cost for the tank is being provided by a non-profit company called "Touch Tanks for Kids" set up by the manufacturer, Marine Ecological Habitats of Biddeford.

Marine Ecological Habitats specializes in the construction of salt-water aquariums, lobster tanks and museum-quality touch tanks—all built inside its space in one of the city’s former mill buildings.

Marine Ecological Habitats owner, Joe Zucchero, said he set up the non-profit company to help schools that would not normally be able to afford the systems by financing a portion of the cost.

"The program was born when we developed a custom touch tank for a teacher, Jean Giberson in West Harpswell. "We thought it was a great idea, but at $7,000 the price is so high, most schools can’t afford it," Zucchero said.

According to Zucchero, St. James will be the first school to benefit from the program. He hopes the school will provide a springboard for extending the program throughout Maine and the rest of the country.

"We contact companies and organizations to provide grants to match the school contribution."

Until the school raises the money to afford their own tank, Marine Ecological Habitats has lent them an older model that sits empty in the school’s entrance.

The tanks are manufactured in a way so that the system’s pumps and biological filters are easily viewed, allowing kids to learn not only about life at the bottom of the ocean, but the processes that maintain a healthy environment.

"We made the housing for the filter out of clear acrylic to teach the kids how the bacteria that clean the water function and how the water is circulated," Zucchero said.

The $7,000 cost of the tank is the only significant cost of the program, he said. Upkeep, including electricity, amounts to about $100 a year.

The creatures that will eventually populate the tank will likely come from students’ parents and friends in the fishing industry.

"The risk is people contributing too many animals," Zuccharo said. "This area is unique due to the number of people who work in ocean industries."

The school has already been forewarned to keep starfish to a minimum. "Apparently they are voracious predators and will eat everything else in the tanks if you don’t watch out," Ferreira said.

The tank will be shared by the entire school and will be kept in a classroom during the school year.

"It will be a great experience to be able to put your hands on the animals and feel the textures," Ferreira said. "The kids will remember the lessons better and have a deeper learning experience."

With a leading marine science center located at the nearby University of New England, the school should have no problem finding experts to help the children unravel the secrets of the sea.

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