Cute puppies.
Fluffy kittens.
For many people, this is what comes to mind when they think about animals.
However, the week of March 19 to March 23 at Carlmont shed light on not so “fluffy” topics, such as animal abuse and endangered species.
“The main purpose of this event was to give people the idea that hurting and abusing animals is wrong and to take better care of their pets,” Sabrina Kelley, a freshman in leadership class, said.
The freshmen in leadership organized the week with the help of PAW Club, or Protecting Animals Worldwide Club, to spread awareness. They started planning the week right after Christmas break, and began making and hanging posters about two weeks prior to the event.
“We started planning our calendar a week after Christmas break, and we started making posters after mid-winter break,” Kelley said.
There were multiple interactive activities to get other students involved throughout the week.
Sticky notes were placed on the bathroom mirrors throughout campus that included facts about different animals. These facts were created to inform students about different species they may not know about, such as pandas or koalas.
On March 23, the freshmen in leadership also held a Kahoot game including questions about animal abuse in the ASB room.
“It is important to have this week because animals are an important part of our environment, and we need to spread awareness that some are endangered and there are things we can do to help,” Soni Kanaya, president of PAW club, said.
The week concluded with National Puppy Day on March 23. “[It] is a special day to celebrate the magic and unconditional love that puppies bring to our lives,” according to the website for National Puppy Day.
Tia Papapietro, a sophomore, said, “It’s really sad, yet so important to learn about the harsh reality of how some people treat animals. It definitely makes me appreciate my cats a lot more and get involved in animal protection organizations.”
