Educators in Flushing might be blushing today. Public School (P.S.) 244 in that Queens neighborhood in New York did something royally kind to animals by becoming the country's first all-vegetarian traditional public school, so PETA's humane-education division, TeachKind, is giving the school its Compassionate School Award.

For P.S. 244, going vegetarian was an easy decision because the school has incorporated healthy eating and living habits into its curricula for years. Other schools in the district are considering adopting meat-free menus, too, depending on the success of P.S. 244's program. And if the students' and parents' reactions are any indication, cruelty-free meals are a hit. As one 9-year-old charmingly put it, "It's much more healthier. It helps to make our bodies stronger."

If P.S. 244 has inspired you to make a school in your area kinder, check out TeachKind's plethora of free lesson plans and materials. 

An elementary school in Denver, Colorado, is giving its students food for thought. To promote healthy eating habits among its students, SOAR has become Colorado's first vegetarian school and earned itself a Compassionate School Award from PETA, for saving the lives of countless animals.

"There is tons of research about plant-based foods preventing disease," said SOAR's head of school, Gianna Cassetta. "[W]e're making a difference in the way people think about food. Hopefully by the time our kids are in fifth grade, they'll be very conscious about what they eat."
 

 
And it's working. SOAR lunches are loaded with fruits and vegetables, and even the food students bring from home must adhere to SOAR's guidelines. Parents report that when they are grocery shopping, if something isn't healthy enough to go school, it goes back on the shelf. SOAR is continuing its quest for a new generation of healthy kids with the opening of a second school next year.

To help the kids in your life make the switch to a healthy vegan diet that will help prevent heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other diseases, visit PETAKids.com/Vegetarian. 
 

Written by Michelle Sherrow