Spanish Lake Elementary fifth grade teachers, Sharon Wallen and Jennifer Meneses, were elated as their students swept first place in the Elementary School Class Division in the H.O.P.E. (Help Overcome Pet Euthanasia) Contest sponsored by the Humane Society and Miami-Dade Animal Services Department and endorsed by Miami-Dade Public Schools.
Although there are many components to the contest, it is geared to benefit animals by making others aware of animal services provided, responsibility of pet ownership, the cruelty that is done to animals, and innovative ways the shelters may produce needed income for services. The students’ projects focused upon answering provoking questions related to pet care and ways the students could actually support a better life for animals in an innovative way.
After “surfing” the web for background information and ideas, the students discussed their findings with their instructors. The students then arranged a conference with Jacqueline Arias-Gonzalez, SLE principal, in order to discuss final project design and for approval. The students formulated a wish list for pet needs in order to facilitate the student run drive for food, toys, towels, donations, etc. They designed their own flyers for advertisement in the form of original word searches, color pages, and class donation tracking.
They wore custom t-shirts and hats. Through their painstaking and conscientious efforts, the students were amazed with the knowledge gained and the success of their drive. For their sterling efforts and first place win, the students received a field trip to visit the Miami Humane Society and a yellow bag filled with goodies including a Target gift card, Marlin game tickets, a Humane Society bracelet, dog shampoo, sunglasses, and more.