Photo credit Mark Charette Photography

Meet KC &

The Sunshine Turtles

 

One of the most iconic things a visitor notices when they enter Glebe is the turtles.  You’ve all heard the squeals of delight from any child who spies them, under the stairwell.  Thought you might like to know about this PTA sponsored program launched by Mr. Halttunen - Mr. H, as most of you know him – in 2005.

 

Did you ever wonder how these tortoises came to live at Glebe?  Well, when the new Glebe School was built, the area under the steps was designed to be a glass trophy case. Mrs. Taub, the principal at the time, didn’t like that idea and wanted to turn it into a living habitat (plus it would’ve blocked the view of Mrs. Lewis’ beautiful mural!).  At the same time, one of Mrs. Taub’s friends in Florida - who had raised KC and the other turtles from hatchlings - was looking for a new home for her beloved turtles. Mrs. Taub asked Mr. H if he would be willing to take care of turtles and the rest is history.  Though at the time he knew nothing about turtles, he quickly learned and went to work designing a habitat with his students.  They’ve been a big part of Glebe ever since then.

 

About the Turtles…correction…Tortoises

Despite the widespread use of the "turtle" moniker, Glebe Elementary's animals are technically tortoises because they mostly live on land.  Glebe is currently home to 10 tortoises, all of which were born in captivity. There are six Eastern Box Turtles, one Three-toed Box Turtle (the little green one), one Chinese Box Turtle, and a Russian Tortoise.

 

Daily Care Routine

Mr. H and Special Education Assistant Mark Charette are the primary care givers of the tortoises.   A typical day begins with feeding and care of the tortoises, by giving them food, changing the water and rinsing out their containers (used for food plates and as a water pool). Students sometimes help with feeding and also help carry KC out to the courtyard on nice days. Students are always encouraged to help but usually the feeding and maintenance is done in the morning before students get here.

 

Diet

These animals are omnivores, just like humans.  Omnivores eat part of their diet as vegetable matter and part of their diet as animal protein.  

 

The box turtles' salad is composed as follows: 60-70% dark calcium-rich greens such as collard, mustard, endive and dandelion, while 20-30% is vegetables such as grated carrots, squash, pumpkin, zucchini, and thawed, frozen mixed vegetables. The remaining 10-20% is an assortment of fruit and flowers such as dandelion flowers, hibiscus flowers, raspberries, strawberries, melon, papaya and mango.  Protein might include domestic crickets, mealworms, night crawlers, and high-quality low-fat wet dog food.  Another important component of their diet is calcium, to help maintain the turtle's shell hardness.

 

At Glebe, there are efforts to gather food from school grounds; during spring and summer, dandelions and mulberry leaves can be found.  Other times of year, caregivers visit local grocers' produce sections, to collect and salvage out-of-date greens and mushrooms that might otherwise land in the dumpster.  

 

Habitat

Most turtle subspecies require a relative humidity of 60-80% in at least one area of their habitat.  The box turtles stay in areas with low humidity and often spend a lot of time buried, in an effort to reach an area that is moist.   At the turtles' morning feeding time, it's easy to raise the humidity higher and coax the animals out of their burrows with a soft spray of water from a pressurized plant mister.  Extra humidity can be concentrated at the east end of the habitat by spraying into the trees and creating a temporary rainy-day effect.  

 

They’re famous!

The story of KC & the Sunshine Turtles (yes, named after the 70’s band) is the subject of a new book written by Mr. H and his wife, Dr. Sharon Gaston, called A Turtle Without a Home.  A Turtle Without a Home “takes children on a spirited journey with Ted Turtle who had to leave his once sparkling, clean pond because of man-made pollution.  Read about how he enthusiastically tries to live in different insect and animal homes that don't suit him.  Will Ted Turtle find another habitat that is perfect for him?”   You can find out more about the book at www.turtlewithoutahome.com.  You’ll also be able to hear Mr. H read A Turtle Without a Home, at this year’s book swap, November 17th.

 

 

 

Do you or your kids have questions about KC & the Sunshine Turtles?  Visit the lobby to find out more fun facts about the tortoises or leave a question for Mr. H and Mr. Charette to answer.

 

 

 

 

____________________________________________________Photographs courtesy of Mark Charette Photography: www.markcharette.com.