Adopted Loggerhead Turtle Begins Maiden Voyage
Squirtle the sea turtle is on the move! The loggerhead turtle was satellite tagged on April 21, 2021 by the Loggerhead Marinelife Center and has begun her journey on the nesting beaches adjacent to Benjamin’s Lower/Middle School campus.
The tracking data from the turtle, named by Benjamin middle school students, will be used by the Research Department at Loggerhead Marinelife Center to document and discover where each tagged female nests throughout the nesting season.
Middle School STEM Coordinator Matt Oster, who is overseeing the turtle program, said it’s thrilling to see Squirtle's journey in real-time.
“The real-time tracking technology available to our students is beyond what is publicly available,” said Oster.
“This project has been an invaluable part of the middle school science curriculum and we are thrilled for this partnership with LMC that has given our students the unique opportunity of working with real-world scientific data,” said Oster.
Hannah Campbell, Director of Education for Loggerhead Marinelife Center, said she loves seeing all of the creative turtle-inspired lessons Oster and his team have incorporated across all academic disciplines.
“Thank you [Mr. & Mrs. Oster] for having the best energy and bringing ocean conservation to TBS,” Campbell said.
In 2020, middle school students analyzed the tracking data from a similar loggerhead turtle named Benji as part of their science curriculum.
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A premier PK3 - Grade 12 independent, coeducational day school with campuses in North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. Since 1960, The Benjamin School has provided a challenging college preparatory education to a diverse student body in a structured, nurturing community environment.