IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — There’s a new VIP at the Thanksgiving table, and she has feathers.
At Lighthouse Montessori School in Idaho Falls, a wild turkey who’s been hanging around campus since early October decided last Friday that outdoor lessons were no longer enough. She wanted the full Montessori experience — including the annual Thanksgiving feast complete with roasted turkey.
The hen — originally nicknamed “Jake” because everyone thought she was a young male — has since been upgraded to female status by the teacher’s son. A proper lady name is still TBD (suggestions welcome in the comments). Since then, she has joined playground time, gone on walks with the students, and even follows Laurie to work every morning alongside the family’s two dogs.
During the school’s Thanksgiving celebration, Laurie accidentally spilled turkey juices in the oven, creating smoke. When the classroom doors were opened to clear the air, the turkey walked right in.
The children sat quietly in a circle and tossed her pieces of bread.
“She didn’t mind that we were eating turkey at all,” Laurie said. “She just enjoyed the company.”
Laurie says this is the first wild animal to actually enter the classroom, although another turkey visited the school grounds last year.
The hen is welcome to stay. “We’re not roasting her,” Laurie promised. The school hopes she will eventually lay eggs and raise them on the property.
Still no name for now, but for the time being she’s the friendliest wild turkey in Idaho Falls, and the only one with an open invitation to next year’s feast.
