East Lyme — Niantic Center School has gone fishing — sort of, anyway.

The school had been the home of giant foam fish art created by artist William Kovel since 1999, but the art was removed in 2018 for a renovation project. The art pieces, made of polyurethane foam, were destroyed in the removal process.

The school principal suggested to art teacher June O'Connor that students could paint the planter outside the school entrance to pay homage to the fish. Fourth graders in the school's hybrid learning model cohorts have been taking turns filling in fish outlines created by O'Connor.

Parents of some students participating in the district's distance learning Virtual Vikings program asked O'Connor if their students might get a chance to participate in the project and time was made on Wednesday, when both cohorts are home, for the remote students to come by and paint some fish. The school's parent-teacher organization purchased the plants in the planter at a discount offered by Smith's Acres Garden Center across the street.

O'Connor hopes there will be more chances in the future for students to add fish-themed art to the school.