Giving new meaning to idea of ‘teacher’s pet’
Mat. 2nd-graders raise over $200 and supplies for SPCA
BY MICHELLE ROSENBERG
Staff Writer

SPCA volunteer Mary Jane Ward, and her yellow lab, Biscuits, recently visited Maryann Spafford’s second-grade class at the Ravine Drive School, Matawan, to accept donations the students raised.

MATAWAN — Ravine Drive School second-grade teacher Maryann Spafford and her 18 students know what giving is all about during the holiday season.

The class decided they wanted to do something charitable this year, and in an effort to find a project, Spafford asked what bothered them. They all said homeless animals, she said.

“The kids decided there should be more money and more things done for animals,” Spafford said.

The class decided to raise money and other donations for the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

The students in the second-grade enrichment class wrote letters to local businesses in an effort to solicit donations, Spafford said. They also made presentations to other classes in the school, explaining the importance of helping animals. They left two big decorated boxes in a hallway in the school for other students to drop off donations, such as food and toys, Spafford said.

While they were raising funds, the students were hard at work studying the SPCA and learning about animals. They studied profiles of animals that the SPCA had saved. They learned about pet population and how to properly care for an animal, Spafford said.

“My goal has been to incorporate kindness and community awareness into the curriculum through active learning experiences,” Spafford said.

The students raised more than $200 and two boxes full of products. The donations came from students, parents and local businesses. The businesses that contributed were the Stained Glass Pub, Trattora Rustica, In Sync and the Matawan Policemen’s Benevolent Association.

While the kids were learning about the animals and pulling together the donations, their teacher was making arrangements for SPCA representatives to come in to personally accept the cash donation and products, as well as talk to the children about the organization.

Three volunteers from the SPCA visited the school on Dec. 16. Volunteers Sheila Moraghan, Diane Petruzzelli, Mary Jane Ward and her dog, a yellow lab named Biscuits, accepted the donations and happily answered questions from the students.

“It’s important that the students not only contribute to their community but also meet those they are helping, when possible,” Spafford said. “We are lucky to have such caring people as the SPCA volunteers to visit the class.”

The students eagerly raised their hands with questions and comments for the volunteers, happy to show off what they had learned from their project.

“I think that people shouldn’t have any new pets when there’s so many animals at the SPCA that need a home,” student Kathleen Hall said. “I know something you should do — you should get your pet spayed or neutered.”

The volunteers also shared 10 minutes of the Disney movie “Oliver and Company” with the class to show that animals need to be taken care of.

“When you teach children at a young age to do what’s right and proper — to treat all life with kindness and respect — they’ll keep those lessons close to their hearts. They will remember doing good deeds for others and how rewarding that can be,” Spafford said.

“The kids were exceptional, and their teacher was fabulous on educating them on how to care for an animal and be a pet owner,” Petruzzelli said. “This second-grade class definitely made a difference in our shelter and our animals.”

The SPCA shelter is located in Eatontown. It currently houses 70 dogs and 200 cats, all of which were strays, cruelty cases or given up by their owners.

The SPCA is offering a home-for-the-holidays special, in which the public can buy two dogs or two cats for the price of one. There is even an adoption counselor to help figure out which pet is best suited for each adoptive owner. Most of the dogs are already trained, which is something you don’t get with a puppy, Moraghan said.

To learn more about the shelter, visit www.monmouthcountySPCA.org, or call the shelter at (732) 542-2030.

Spafford is assured that her class learned a valuable lesson from this project. She believes she has taught them that “even though you’re little, you can do big things.”