With the beginning of the school year rolling in, there are many new changes that have gone into effect. As a handful of you may have seen, Mr. Hilt has a new and interesting little addition to his classroom – a turtle named Harvey.

Harvey is quite the big addition, as Hilt has never owned a class pet before. He’s a pretty decent size, measuring at about 12 inches from nose to tail, although he does carry some weight and has trouble climbing up the ramp located in his tank. Hilt received the turtle during a secret Santa activity conducted last year when one of his students, Jonathan Harmor (class of 2014), took Hilt seriously when he jokingly wrote “I like turtles” as an allusion to the famous YouTube video. Harmor then told Hilt that he needed a new home for his turtle as he was going to college, and reportedly exclaimed,”I am giving you my turtle whether you like it or not.”

Harmor kept his word, and now Mr. Hilt has a turtle that has more in common with him than he thought. The two share anger problems (hence the label on the turtle’s tank, “Harvey: Full of Rage”), weight issues, and even facial hair: the turtle has a beard made of algae growing on his chin. Hilt said, “I never knew how much work it would be to own a turtle and I’ve had to change his water a couple times already, get a filter, and a few other things for him, but it’s still a lot of fun.” He says when he comes in to his classroom in the morning and the turtle is laying on the bottom of the tank, he gets nervous because he doesn’t know if he’s still alive. Mr. Hilt does his best to keep his aquatic friend alive and happy, despite the amphibian’s nasty attitude. Harvey is always in Mr. Hilt’s room if any of the students would like to come visit him and give him some attention – but don’t stick any fingers in the water, or he might try to bite them.