Pierce School third-graders report growth, data-gathering from turtle head-start project

Jen Sutton, a third-grade teacher at Pierce School, told the Contoocook Valley School District board that her class’s multi-year painted-turtle head-start project pairs classroom science with community partnerships and hands-on data collection.

The program, now in its fourth year in the district, began as a pilot and has spread to multiple classrooms, Sutton said. “We partnered with the Harris Center and Susie Spickel, who’s been a huge part of all of the learning that has taken place,” Sutton said.

Students weigh and measure turtles weekly, chart growth against other schools in the district, and use the data to change feeding and husbandry practices so the animals are prepared for release. Sutton said the class started five turtles this year — Balto, Biggie Smalls, Felix, Iris and Luna — and that weekly tracking of weight and shell length helped the teacher and students spot an illness this spring.

When turtles developed a respiratory condition, Sutton said students identified abnormal signs and the animals were taken to an exotic veterinarian for treatment. The superintendent, Dr. Forrest, wrote an early grant to help fund the project and the Harris Center has since allocated budget support to expand the program, Sutton said. The class coordinates with other local classrooms and with biologists, sharing data by Zoom and by district-wide charts so students can compare turtles’ growth across sites.

The project is intended to teach ecology and stewardship and to prepare animals for release rather than keep them as long‑term pets. Sutton said the students plan to release the turtles in May and that the program includes social-emotional benefits; students earn time to read to or sit near the tank, activities teachers have found calming for some children.

The presentation also highlighted community outreach: students will present to the Bennington Conservation Commission this summer, they participated in a drawing session with illustrator Matt Patterson, and the Harris Center facilitated a Zoom session with New Hampshire turtle rescue biologists during the illness. Sutton said those partnerships help students see conservation careers and connect classroom learning to local habitat questions — for example, what to do when drivers encounter turtles crossing roads.

Sutton described classroom safeguards: use of gloves when handling animals, frequent handwashing and careful instruction on how to pick up and carry turtles safely. She said the program has included transitions to live food to promote natural foraging behavior ahead of release.

The board thanked the students and teacher for the presentation. Superintendent Dr. Forrest and district staff will continue coordinating release plans and community events with the Harris Center and local conservation groups.