Discovering Our Wetland Turtles: The Turtle Count

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In honor of Earth Day, the Schuylerville Green Ribbon School team issued a challenge to all of the students and staff of the school district: who could count the highest number of turtles in the overlooked retention pond near the bus garage, and could anyone count more than the superintendent?

Classes were required to count as a class, and to submit their observations (teacher's name, date, time, weather, number of students, and number of turtles counted) to the GRS team by email. All were welcome to make multiple observations and submit multiple counts. One member of the GRS team volunteered to captain the challenge, and created a display in the front lobby of the elementary school to track the tally. Teachers were also encouraged to post their counts on their classroom doors.

The response was immediate and enthusiastic. Teachers appreciated the flexibility and ease of the activity, students rejoiced the newly-discovered natural space on the campus, and the banter around both the elementary school and the high school was contagious. Most teachers and students had never even noticed the wildlife in the pond previous to this occasion. All grade leves could participate, and many teachers used the opportunity to reinforce skills already in their curriculum. Some classes practiced their math, some discussed habitats, some noted the diversity of other species in the area, and ALL incorporated more outdoor exploration into their days.

In addition, the school librarian also voluntarily shared a list of resources about turtles that teachers could find online and in the library. Of special note is that this challenge was issued at the beginning of two weeks of state testing, and provided a refreshing distraction to the pressure and rigidity of the exams.

Based on the success of this challenge, the GRS team plans to make this count an annual challenge, and it is expected that many more teachers will make use of this outdoor resource in various new ways throughout the year. In addition, there is discussion about improving the access and gathering space adjacent to the pond so that classes can more easily look, listen, observe, and record in close proximity to the plants and animals living there.