AHS Video Production classes visited by Woods Humane Society
Jamie Relth brought her animal friends from Woods Humane Society to the Video production class to assist with a project. Photo by Morgan Orgeron
Jamie Relth, the Humane Education Coordinator of Woods Humane Society, visited the Video Production classes at AHS. Relth visited the classes on Sept. 20 and 21 to discuss the serious issues involving animal overpopulation and pet welfare in the North County. Joining her were “ambassadors” Ollie the dog and Scrabbles the kitten.
Students learned about the rapid reproduction of cats and dogs, availability to care for them, what Woods does to help, and the statistics of homeless animals. Relth’s presentation was informative, comprehensible, and helped students understand what they can do to help solve the local overpopulation problem. Ollie and Scrabbles served as real life examples. Students learned that by microchipping and getting pets fixed, everyone can help prevent the issue of homeless animals.
The Video Production classes, taught by Mr. Bradley, will create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) video using the information they learned about animals and their care. Students will work in teams of three or four and will use technology and other helpful resources to create their PSAs. The “Service Learning Classroom Project & Contest” is a team video activity meant to help connect learning in the classroom to the community, provide a competitive element to the classroom, and help students explore more unique careers like working with animals. The top PSA videos created will be posted to the AHS website and possibly posted to the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education TV channel on COE-TV Channel 19. Some videos might also be offered to Woods Humane Society to use in future educational programs.
“The statistics and numbers were very interesting and surprising,” said sophomore Owen Fang. Students also enjoyed having the animals visit and learning about the situation of pets in the county. “It was really fun that they actually brought a dog and a cat in,” said senior Taylor Johnson.
The connection between Woods and AHS has helped students relate what they are learning to something important happening outside of the classroom. “The most unique part of this has been this connection with the community our students now have. They’re seeing how what we learn about here in Video Production can be applied out there,” Mr. Bradley commented. Students were able to apply how their skills with video production could educate people about animals or even help them find homes.