Mackay High School students who raise and release fish in mountain lakes and streams will share their story with public television viewers this week.

The program, called “Doing Good in the Great Outdoors,” is part of Idaho Public Television’s Outdoor Idaho series. It highlights volunteers in Idaho who enhance outdoor recreation. The program debuts on Thursday at 8 p.m. and will air again on Sunday at 7 p.m.

Sophomore Jason Van Etten said he’s excited to show Idahoans what a rural school can accomplish. He raises fish at the Mackay High School fish lab as part of his coursework.

“I’m very honored that I’m going to be on TV for Idaho, representing our school and what we do for our fisheries,” Van Etten told EdNews.

A team of high school students and community volunteers in Mackay last year raised 4,500 fish — including California golden trout, rainbow trout and Arctic grayling — and released them in the Mackay Reservoir and Lower Cedar Creek.

Teacher Trent Van Leuven, who was named Idaho teacher of the year in 2024, oversees the fish lab. For a small valley, he said there are lots of local job opportunities that involve fish.

“Our goal is to prepare students to enter a career in aquaculture or fisheries,” Van Leuven said. “Our hope is that students coming out of Mackey that have that interest, that their applications and resumes go up to the top of the pile.”

Jesse Barger, a junior, said he wants to study fish biology after high school and then get a job with the U.S. Forest Service or Idaho Fish and Game. His experience at the high school fish lab will help.

“It really helps me learn about aquaculture and practices, and then also really helped me get interested in fish and all of the things you can do,” Barger said.

The state-of-the-art fish lab at Mackay High School was built with the help of community volunteers for about $120,000.

“There’s not a single leak in there,” Van Leuven said. “You know, that was a pretty unique thing for most high school fish labs. A lot of facilities I go to there’s leaks, but we don’t have a single leak in our facility.”

The show will be available on YouTube, the PBS Passport app and at IdahoPTV.org.