Cranberry Township Educator Is Crowned PETA’s Middle School Teacher of the Year
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week (May 5–9), TeachKind—PETA’s humane education division—has named PA Distance Learning Charter School 7th-grade science teacher Caroline Combemale its 2025 Middle School Teacher of the Year for teaching her students to think critically about humans’ impact on animals and the planet.
A vocal opponent of cruel animal dissection, Combemale enrolled her school in PETA’s Kind Frog pilot program, which provides hyperrealistic synthetic frogs for cruelty-free dissection. Her thoughtful guidance has inspired students to explore issues such as the effects of harvesting palm oil, which has a devastating impact on orangutans. Moved by what they learned, the students chose on their own to boycott products containing palm oil—with one even remarking that “humans are the invasive species.”
And instead of keeping animals caged in her science classroom, Combemale shares videos and stories of her beloved adopted animal companions at home—George the diabetic cat, Elvira the rehabilitated gecko, and several rabbits and guinea pigs—thereby teaching her students that animals are individuals, not classroom tools. Combemale says what she loves most about being an educator is “helping students connect what they learn in class to real-world issues—especially when it comes to the environment and animal welfare.”
“For empowering students to lead with compassion in the classroom and their communities, Caroline Combemale is helping students create a kinder world, one pro-animal lesson at a time,” says PETA Vice President Marta Holmberg. “TeachKind’s Middle School Teacher of the Year deserves a round of applause for doing right by her students, animals, and the planet.”
A vegetarian since age six, when she realized that the beef on her plate was no different from the cows she saw across the street from her grandparents’ house, Combemale made the switch to vegan eating at 12 after watching undercover video footage revealing the cruelty inherent in the dairy and egg industries.
Her dedication to animal liberation extends far past the school day bell, as she can be found in her off-hours participating in vigils for slaughterhouse-bound animals and selling rocks and minerals at craft shows to raise funds for a local sanctuary.
Combemale will receive a framed certificate and a prize package of animal-friendly goodies, including an artisanal vegan cheese box from Rebel Cheese. TeachKind also plans to work with Combemale throughout the year to help her develop ways to support other teachers in bringing similar lessons into their classrooms.
TeachKind—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 TeachKind.org or follow TeachKind on Facebook or Instagram.
