Victoria Spadafora’s classroom has gone to the dogs, the cats and even the guinea pigs.
Spadafora is the history department chair and head swimming coach at Monsignor Edward Pace High School.
For 18 years, she has also overseen the Miami Gardens school’s P.A.W.S. Club (Pace Animal Welfare Society).
Colleagues nominated Spadafora for WTVJ-NBC 6’s PAWSitively Good Award, which she won last March.
It highlights those who perform good deeds for animals, and the recognition for Spadafora and P.A.W.S. caught the eye of "The Kelly Clarkson Show."
Producers brought Spadafora and Principal Ana Garcia to California appear on the NBC show in January.
A highlight of their segment: Clarkson gave $5,000 to the club.
“This is going to help with the vet bills,” said Spadafora about the money that will be used to spay and neuter the stray animals that arrive in her classroom.
Caring for the animals gets students to focus on grades and schoolwork and helps them earn community service hours.
And when their schoolwork is done, the animals are waiting.
“Sometimes the parents say, ‘We’ll let you foster if this grade comes up.’ It’s an incentive for them,” Spadafora said.
Students foster and sometimes adopt club animals, and people in the community may adopt them too.
“[It teaches] responsibility and you can’t really teach empathy, but it teaches you how to care for another being,” Spadafora said.
She enjoys watching “big football players that come in and take care of kittens. It’s just so nice to see.”
While finding a safe space at Pace, the animals provide stress relief for students, including those with special needs, who care for them, pet them and even sit with them during exams.
Animals are scanned for ID chips and efforts are made to find their owners. If that doesn’t happen, the animals become available for adoption, which happened even for a chicken and a duck that came through the program.
Spadafora and Principal Ana Garcia returned to WTVJ-NBC 6 on Jan. 26 with Koda, a Siberian Husky.
Their visit to the TV station can be watched at https://bit.ly/3jfHQNj.
Currently, several large older cats need forever homes. To adopt from P.A.W.S., call the school at 305-623-7223.