JEFFERSON — Waldo gobbled and wobbled to the delight of Jefferson Elementary students Wednesday afternoon in the multiage classroom I and II.
“Waldo was the featured guest of honor who brought the story “’Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving,” by Dav Pilkey, to life for the first- through third-grade students. The book, which is a funny story about turkeys coming to school, was read to the students before Waldo was introduced by multiage classroom (MAC) teachers Kathryn Fassett and Suzanne Roberts.
“Waldo is a 3-year-old Royal Palm heritage-breed turkey and weighs 20 pounds,” said Wendy Gruskiewicz, who brought the full-grown male turkey to school. Gruskiewicz is a representative of the Ashtabula County Farm Bureau.
“Waldo belongs to my son Evan, but he is away at college, so I brought Waldo to school today.”
At the Gruskiewicz farm, Waldo is a companion animal and never will be served at a Thanksgiving dinner.
“He is very tame and gentle. I don’t know how smart he really is, but one of my son’s turkeys will ride on a skateboard,” Gruskiewicz said.
Students Abbie Mann and Zach Burnett read a poem aloud in honor of Waldo’s visit, which they helped to finish during their reading center time.
“The turkey ran away before Thanksgiving Day. He said, ‘They’ll make a meal of me, if I decide to stay.’” The poem came from the November Kids Corner: Trumbull County.
After petting Waldo, first-grader Aidan Derosa said, “He is so soft and bigger than I thought he would be.”
