Marshall Street Elementary Art Teacher Is Crowned PETA’s Teacher of the Year
For Immediate Release:
May 7, 2026
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week (May 4–8), TeachKind—PETA’s humane education division—has named Marshall Street Elementary art teacher Stephanie Curson its 2026 Teacher of the Year for seamlessly incorporating compassion for animals into her curriculum year-round. From lessons on butterfly migration, pig intelligence, and polar bear habitats to teaching students to humanely catch and release any bug or mouse visitor, Curson’s students learn that everyone deserves to live freely, no matter their species.
Humane education, Curson says, helps students of all ages build empathy, strengthen critical-thinking skills, and understand how their choices affect other living beings. She teaches a wide range of animal-related topics, including cow friendships, amazing spider facts, caterpillar food preferences, and the lives of local animals who live in trees. She also advocates for more vegan options in the cafeteria and helped organize a back-to-school vegan ice cream party to welcome students. TeachKind plans to work with Curson to help other teachers bring similar lessons into their classrooms.
“I chose to become a teacher because I wanted to make a difference in the world,” says Curson. “I am so grateful to teach where I do, surrounded by amazing students who are eager to learn about animals and express themselves through beautiful works of art.”
“Whether they’re learning about migrating butterflies or gently guiding a frightened animal outside, Stephanie Curson’s life-changing lessons inspire her students to show kindness to all animals every single day,” says PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “TeachKind’s Teacher of the Year deserves a round of applause for proving that compassion belongs in every classroom.”
A longtime vegan and self-described foodie, Curson’s favorite go-to is the weekly dairy-free milkshake special from VegOut in Bethlehem. She also loves the vegan wings from Paranormal Pizza and sandwiches from Love Again Local and Luhv Deli. Outside the classroom, Curson organizes the Phoenixville VegFest and helps run the nonprofit Revolution Philadelphia, where she helped push horse-drawn carriages off Philadelphia streets—none have operated in the city since 2022.
As TeachKind’s 2026 Teacher of the Year, Curson will receive a framed certificate and a prize package that includes a 12-month VeganCuts snack-box subscription, a Plant-Based on a Budget cookbook, a humane bug catcher, and more. Marshall Street Elementary will celebrate with an upcoming visit from PETA’s vegan ice cream truck.
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. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
