Some Hard-Shelled New Residents Moving into the Robles Elementary School Campus; Creating Unique Outdoor Learning Experience 

TUCSON —  April 17, 2008 – A rural Tucson elementary school is getting some new live-in residents to help motivate students and teachers to “come out their shells” and learn about the wonders of the surrounding Sonoran Desert.

Robles Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Jesse Bodenstadt has successfully mobilized local students, teachers and community members to create a tortoise habitat at the center of the Robles campus.   

Their hard work is about to pay off – some hard-shelled new residents are scheduled to move into their new ‘digs’ in early May.

“We’re just awaiting the fences to go up,” Bodenstadt said.  “We hope to have tortoises within the next couple of weeks.”

The idea for the tortoise habitat was hatched by parent Mary Miller, who approached Principal Theresa Leal-Holmes about seeking out a grant for the development of an outdoor learning experience.  The school’s search for grant money was successful, as it was able to receive funding from the Arizona Department of Game & Fish Heritage Fund to create the habitat.

With funding approved for the habitat, Bodenstadt and first-grade teacher Sarah Etters then successfully secured a second grant to develop a curriculum for the new tortoise habitat, which Bodenstadt is currently writing.

“We’re trying to get the students out into nature, learning about the environment,” Bodenstadt said.  “My hope is this enables students, teachers and parents to learn more about the plants and animals that are native to this area.”

Bodenstadt said nearly 50 people were involved in the multiple Work Days needed to create the habitat.  The work included digging up and removing large cement slabs for the site, moving non-native plants to other areas of the campus, preparing the soil and building benches for the habitat.  Bodenstadt praised special education teacher Dave Shaffer for playing an integral role in the construction of both the habitat’s native plant garden as well as the benches that will surround the habitat.

The result of the hard work is an area that any tortoise would be proud to call home, and the opportunity for Robles students to get back to nature simply by stepping out of their classroom doors.