Middle School Art Class Wins ‘Hero to Animals Award’ From PETA for Portraits of Adoptable Animals

For Immediate Release:
October 13, 2025

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

Disputanta, Va. –

A Hero to Animals Award is on its way from TeachKind—PETA’s humane education division—to J.E.J. Moore Middle School’s Program for Artistically Advanced Services (PAAS), where students are drawing attention to the companion animal overpopulation crisis. Led by art teacher Makenzie Onizuk, the students have been creating hand-drawn portraits of senior dogs and cats up for adoption at the local municipal animal shelter to help promote the adoption of older animals who are often overlooked. People who adopt one of the animals will be gifted the portrait of their newest family member as a heartfelt keepsake. Ms. Onizuk is available for interviews.

“Senior dogs and cats have heroes at J.E.J. Moore Middle School, where compassionate students are using art to help older animals in shelters find loving homes,” says PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “This art project is a powerful example of humane education in action, and PETA salutes Ms. Onizuk and her students for setting a shining example for young people everywhere by helping animals in need.”

With millions of homeless dogs and cats flooding U.S. animal shelters, PETA advises guardians to have their animal companions spayed or neutered and to always adopt animals instead of buying them from breeders or pet stores. People can also help by volunteering at their local animal shelter and even fostering an animal in need, which gives them more opportunities for exercise and socialization and can improve their chances at adoption.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. TeachKind offers free presentations, lessons, and other resources to help teachers add compassion to their curricula. For more information, please visit TeachKind.org or follow TeachKind on Facebook or Instagram.