In this category, you will find projects aimed at preventing animal cruelty and promoting animal safety. Projects may include visits to local animal shelters to assist and promote safe practices for animals. For projects about indigenous species and the environment’s impact on animals, see Environment.
Projects are listed alphabetically by title.
Cutest Pet Contest by Carol Ann Schaper in Carroll County. Created for middle school. Fellows Project.
Primary Subjects: Family and Consumer Sciences
Maryland Curriculum Indicators for: Family and Consumer Sciences
Level of Service: Indirect
Project Description: Students at Sykesville Middle School participate in a project that has become an annual event, The Cutest Pet Contest. This project raises money for the Humane Society. Students collect 60-70 pictures of pets from students within the school. The pictures are displayed during lunch shifts and students get to vote for their favorite pets by putting money in the plastic container under the picture of their favorite pet. Many parents visit the school during the week to see the animal pictures, but also to vote on their favorite pet. The funds raised by the project are used to help animal related causes.
Primary Subjects: Math, Language Arts, Social Studies
Maryland Curriculum Indicators for: Math, Language Arts, Social Studies
Level of Service: Indirect
Project Description: After teaching a service-learning unit to my sixth-grade students, we discussed how they could serve their local community. Several of my students wanted to work with the local humane society. A few days after having this discussion I learned of a severe case of animal cruelty in a neighboring county. As a result, seventy-five of my students agreed to develop a project that would help to supply support to two local Humane Societies. Our project included a penny drive and a pet supply drive.
Vest-A-Dog by Emily R. Bolton, Chris Bolton in Washington County. Created for middle school. Sherry Unger winner.
Primary Subjects: Reading and Language Arts, Math
Maryland Curriculum Indicators for: Reading and Language Arts, Math
Level of Service: Indirect
Project Description: I started a fundraising drive that I called Vest-A-Dog, in which I solicited donations to buy bulletproof vests for police K-9's for the three police agencies in my community. They are the Washington County Sheriff's Department, the Hagerstown City Police, and the Maryland State Police.