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Curriculum leads students to give to Humane Society

By Ayanna Eckblad

Fourth-grade students from Halverson Elementary School on Friday had a fun morning visiting the Freeborn County Humane Society and delivering donations as part of a new reading curriculum, “How do you show a figurative or literal great heart?”

Teacher Melinda Talamantes said the class has done different things to explore this topic.

For the literal aspect of having a great heart, the students read a book called “The Circulatory Story,” where they learned about the physical heart and how blood travels through the body. They also incorporated exercise into Friday’s trip by walking from the school to the Humane Society.

For the figurative element of having a great heart, Talamantes said the students read the book “Love That Dog,” as well as other poetry that displayed examples of great hearts. “Love That Dog,” she said, became the catalyst for the grade’s service project to the Humane Society.

“There’s a really sad part in the book where the dog ends up dying in the book,” she said. “We had a lot of feelings and a lot of emotions, and we just kind of said, ‘How can we show that we have great hearts?’ And then we came up with the idea that we can come here and make donations.”

Among the items donated were toys, treats and food for dogs and cats, cat litter, cleaning supplies and other necessities. Talamantes said it was overwhelming to see how much the students brought in.

Additionally, the fourth grade collected $261 in cash to donate.

Talamantes added the Freeborn County Humane Society is a perfect example of showing great hearts because the people there are kind, courageous and brave in giving their time to help animals find their forever homes.

“I’m really hoping, truly, that other people will see that this is such a great organization to make donations to,” she said. “Something as simple as bringing in paper towels or peanut butter [or] treats to the animals. I mean, that can make a big difference in their lives.”

Fourth-grader Hannah Raatz said she had fun with the great hearts project. She herself has five dogs and many cats, and she said seeing the cats at the Humane Society was her favorite part of the trip.

When asked what she feels having a great heart meant, she replied, “Loving other people, loving others, loving animals and taking care of them.”

Gracie Lowman, another student, is also a dog and cat owner.

“I learned a lot about how to take care of animals and maybe, I might ask my parents, maybe I can get one of my own someday,” she said.

For Lowman, having a great heart means “to not be rude to people, to love people for who they [are] and to be kind to others.”

The money donated came mainly from Halverson’s Parent Teacher Organization. The money came from funding that is allotted to classes for field trips every year. Because the students walked to the Humane Society, no money was spent on busing or other expenses, and could be donated.

Robyn Joel, fundraising coordinator at the Freeborn County Humane Society, said she enjoys showing students around the shelter and encouraging the next generation of animal lovers.

“It’s great to start them out young because without the community’s support, we wouldn’t survive, we wouldn’t be here,” she said.

There is a stigma, she explained, that the Humane Society is like a dog pound, and a scary place for animals. She hopes field trips like these show students that the Humane Society is a welcoming place that takes care of animals temporarily until they can find forever homes.

She said the Humane Society is grateful for the donations the students gave. The supplies will be used for the animals at the shelter, and the cash donation will go toward vet bills the Humane Society has from ensuring animals are spayed or neutered and vaccinated.

The students, she said, were awesome.

“I loved hearing about the animals that they have at home, and wanting to come back later with their parents to volunteer,” Joel said.

“That’s just an example of how we’ve been able to show a figurative great heart back to the community,” Talamantes said.