Plainville High School Senior Recognized

For Leaving A Legacy of Kindness

Due to Plainville High School Senior Allie Petit’s extraordinary efforts to make her high school more humane, Animalearn, a national animal-protection educational program, has named her the 2008 Humane Student of the Year. Petit is being rewarded for leaving behind a legacy of kindness at her school by creating a student choice policy at Plainville High School. This new policy will allow students to object to animal dissections and instead use viable alternatives. Although there are nine states that have a student choice law, which allows students in K-12 with an ethical objection to dissection the right to choose an alternative without penalty, Connecticut is not one of them. This, however, did not stop Allie Petit from taking the initiative of creating a policy, and working with administrators at Plainville High School to make sure it protects herself and other students at her school in years to come. Petit’s efforts have paved the way for future students who do not want to harm animals used in education.

The award being given to Petit is part of an effort to recognize teachers, parents, and students nationwide who are shaping the future of humane education in lasting and important ways. As part of her award, Petit received $600 worth of alternatives to dissection, including models and CD-ROMs that she will donate to Plainville High School. These alternatives will allow other students that share Petit’s views the option to select a humane alternative to dissection, while obtaining their science education.

Petit contacted Animalearn for help in creating a student choice policy at her high school last year. Allie is interested in science and originally began the student choice initiative because she did not think that students should be excluded from electives like Marine Biology because they do not believe in dissection. The policy currently protects students in general science courses only, but Petit hopes it will be expanded to include electives.

Laura Ducceschi, Director of Animalearn, states, “Allie is the perfect example of what a student can do to make a positive change where both students and animals will benefit.” Petit believes that no student should miss out on the joy and benefit of science because of deeply held moral or ethical beliefs against harming animals. Instead of waiting for a policy to be written by administrators, she decided to write it herself. She is also working hard to create awareness amongst like-minded students about alternatives to dissection.

Petit is giving the alternatives to the biology department at her high school, and has also selected several models which she hopes Plainville High School will let students use if they don’t want to dissect in electives such as marine biology. Petit states that there are many students entering high school next year who are like-minded and opposed to dissection. The student choice policy and the alternatives will benefit them too.

Animalearn, the education division of the American Anti-Vivisection Society, is dedicated to assisting educators and students in finding nonanimal methods to teach and study science. Towards that objective, Animalearn created The Science Bank, a comprehensive lending program of almost 500 CD-ROMS, realistic models, and many more humane products that enable educators to teach and students to learn anatomy, physiology, and psychology lessons without harming animals. Compassionate students and educators can access this program online at www.Animalearn.org or call (800)729-2287.

Download the press release

Contacts: Animalearn, 215-887-0816, info@animalearn.org

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