Local Students Learn That Kindness Extends to Animals

Students from James Workman Middle School's Boo2Bullying program got a behind-the-scenes look at animal care this week, touring Animal Samaritans' veterinary clinic and the Coachella Valley Animal Campus as part of an effort to connect compassion for animals with the values the program already teaches.

Animal Samaritans CEO Tom Snyder led the tour, walking students through the clinic and talking about the range of careers available in animal welfare. "We're going to talk about all the different positions that you might find in a veterinary clinic," Snyder said. "We're going to talk about pet wellness and being a responsible pet owner, why pets have to go to a veterinary clinic, and then we'll talk about animal shelters and what we can do to keep our pets out of the shelter."

After the clinic visit, the group headed next door to the Coachella Valley Animal Campus to continue the conversation about animal sheltering and what it means for a pet to thrive both at home and in a shelter setting.

Boo2Bullying Program Coordinator Dimitri Halkidis says the organization is expanding its focus beyond bullying prevention, rolling out a new initiative called "Teens Off Your Screen" that encourages students to step away from their devices and invest in face-to-face relationships. "Really challenge them to stay off of them and reduce the screen time and really focus on connection rather than online connections," Halkidis said.

Boo2Bullying is a Riverside County-based nonprofit that has operated free school and community programs across the Coachella Valley, Los Angeles, and the Inland Empire for more than 13 years, reaching over 30,000 students in the past year alone.