West Carrollton Middle School has long been the home of a family of box turtles. The turtles have lived in the courtyard for about 30 years. Anyone who was a student or staff member at the school during this time span would have seen the turtles!
The construction of a new Middle/High School, scheduled to open in August 2026, will be followed by the demolition of the current Middle School. District officials wanted to ensure that the turtles were removed from the courtyard before this happened.
The school district has been collaborating with the Ohio Division of Wildlife and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden to develop a plan for relocating the turtles to a suitable location where they can continue to thrive. Representatives from the Ohio Division of Wildlife and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden removed 21 turtles on Sept. 3 from the courtyard to prepare them for transport to the zoo. Once there, the turtles will be health-checked and evaluated for release back into the wild.
The school district is continuing to work with the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden when more turtles are found, and representatives from the zoo will soon be returning to continue the search for turtles.