NEW GLASGOW – Drawings by five students at A.G. Baillie Elementary School will soon be seen around the county as new promotional material for the Pictou County SPCA.
Organized by a few students at the school, the poster contest combines two things kids love – drawing and pets, says Lauren Watton, a member of the organizing committee.
“We thought it was something everyone would like,” the Grade 5 student explained. “A lot of teachers asked us to come in and talk to their class about what the SPCA does.”
SPCA manager Dee Brown helped the students out with that, added Lior Goldchtaub, another committee member.
“She talked to us about what they do, and we passed that on to the kids,” she said. “The winning posters are going to be reproduced and distributed around town – I think everyone’s going to be happy to see their posters.”
About half of the students in the school participated in the contest and displayed their pictures in the school cafeteria.
Grade 6 student April Fraser was the top winner selected Wednesday. Her simple drawing of a paw appealed to the judges.
“I wanted to have a paw because I thought it would stand out,” Fraser explained, adding that she also wanted to include a nice message.
Robert Burrows focused on the message he wanted to send in his poster, which features a sketch of a dog and dog paws. “If you save just one pet, it will not change the world, but the world will change for that one pet,” he said.
Emma Curley, Grade 6, also focused on the message in her poster, which proclaims, “Love your pet.”
“Some people don’t treat their pets good and I wanted to tell them to,” Curley said.
Grade 3 student Erin Noftall drew a picture of herself surrounded by a cat and dog and wrote several tips for people on how to take care of a pet.
“You need to take them for walks, feed them, give them water and play with them, if you can – you can’t play with a fish,” she said. “And you need to clean up after them.”
Grade 1 student Julia MacDonald was the youngest winner, with her drawing focusing on Love Your Pet Day, which is celebrated on Feb. 20, and all the things a pet needs.
A.G. Baillie students aren’t planning on stopping with just a poster contest, however. A food drive for the SPCA is planned for the spring.
