PAWS, people for animal welfare, is a club that has strived to bring more recognition to the mistreatment of animals in the SPA community. Lark Smith, co-president of PAWS, has developed a new idea this year to help promote more awareness: each month the club will be celebrating an animal. The month of October was national bat appreciation month, and PAWS submitted a variety of blue sheet announcements full of facts, as well as hung up posters around the school.

“We are going to celebrate all national animal holidays, so each month there will be signs and blue sheet announcements for whichever animal is being honored,” Smith said.

PAWS will have a variety of events throughout the year related to the specific animal month, or a special animal day, that include volunteer work and educational opportunities within the school.

“Along with each honored animal, there will be opportunities [for students] to help. Since [October] is national bat appreciation month, we gave information to [the SPA community] on how to buy a bat house this month,” Smith said.

So far, the club has only two members, who are both seniors, so Smith also hopes that these monthly events will help encourage more students to join PAWS.

“We are doing all this publicity because we are a really small club and need to make people more aware of who we are and what we do,” Smith said.

Next week they will be hosting a bear bake sale for the national bear day. Here is a calendar of which animal will be honored each month this year.