WHS to Host Fourth Grade Students on an Animal Sanctuary Field Trip

By: Tara

Tomorrow WHS's Humane Education Program will take twenty-five fourth graders from Hendley Elementary School in Southeast Washington, DC on a field trip to Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary, a 400 acre non-profit refuge for farm animals and wildlife.

The students in Mr. Kenneth Robinson’s fourth grade class have been working with WHS’s Humane Education Program Manager, Shakela Brown, over the course of the school year. The WHS Humane Education program is an enriching curriculum teaching students more than just animal care basics. Young people in the program also learn about issues affecting their everyday lives. They are taught about bullying, violence in their community, violence against people and violence against animals. Most importantly, they are empowered to speak up for themselves and for animals rather than just accept the role of the passive observers.

“One of the goals of the program is to teach children to make compassionate and responsible decisions. I have been working with Mr. Robinson for 3 years; he’s a wonderful teacher that not only teaches his class math and history lessons, but also life lessons, pushing his students to strive for excellence.  It is a great opportunity to take these students out of a neighborhood riddled with violence and into a new and stimulating learning environment,” said Shakela Brown.

The students will arrive with WHS’s Shakela Brown to Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary at 10:30 a.m. They will be given an overview on the work of the sanctuary and how the animals came to Poplar Springs. Then, the students will be led on a tour of the sanctuary where they will see, touch and feed pigs, cows, chickens, goats and horses.