Students give back to local animal rescues

Heather Brzezinski’s fourth grade class at Crooked Billet Elementary School participated in FriendsGIVEing as an extension of their Because of Winn-Dixie English language arts novel unit. Throughout the unit, students took a closer look at their own identity and the impact that their identity has on both the classroom community and the community they live in.

In October, Katie Nagy from the Montgomery County SPCA presented in the class to teach students about animal shelters, how animals get shelter and how they can help the shelter. Ms. Nagy also brought a special visitor that day, a guinea pig named Speedy. The class unanimously voted to rescue Speedy from the shelter!

“We continued to discuss ways that our class could ‘leave it better’ for the other animals we could not rescue at the shelter,” said Brezezinski. “The past several days we worked as a fourth-grade family to sew fleece blankets for large and small animals, braid fleece dog toys, and stuff hay tubes for the small animals like rabbits and guinea pigs.”

“Students reflected on the experience this week recognizing the profound power of ONE – one child, one classroom, one fourth grade family can change the world,” added Brezezinski.
Her class will continue their service project throughout December with round two of fleece blanket making for Home At Last Dog Rescue.