Senior Project Reflection

1. I think I deserve at least a P because I met all of the requirements, the new content talking time, and everyone liked my activities.

2. I am most proud of my activities that I put together. They were all fun and engaging, yet very informative and interesting at the same time. Edmond came up to me and told me he really really liked them, of course not the part about hurt animals, but the whole concept of it.

3. I think I did very well on my exit interview, creative expression, and I-Search. These were the three most difficult, well maybe not the creative expression so much, but I ended up receiving high grades on them. I think I could have worked harder on my Science Fair and Research Checks because that is where I got most of my APs from. If I would have brought in more research and concentrated on margin noting instead of looking at my phone or talking I would have done better.

4. What is the most effective way to take a stand against animal cruelty? My best answer is to fight for the strong passage of anti-cruelty laws and prosecution.

5. All of the project components we had to work on during the past month did not change any of my answers whatsoever. In fact looking over all of my research for my I-Search and figuring out what I was going to say during my Exit helped me realized how much I know about my topic and what I can say that I know backs up all of my answers.

6. Maybe not pack so much stuff into the last month of school all at once (even though it was very do-able).

7. I believe I deserve at least a P+ or AE-. My grade as of now without the 2 hour or product presentation is at a P+ and I am almost positive if I did slightly ok on my 2 hour and pretty well at my product then I should be fine.

Service Learning

Literal

Log: Between the months of September and December I competed 35.5 hours, going twice a month on saturdays from roughly around 11 or 12 to 3 or 4. In the beginning of January ending in March I volunteered every week Monday thru Thursday usually between 2 and 5. My overall hours add up to over 80 hours.

Description of duties: I served as a shelter host, cat and dog companion (walked, exercise, played with the animals), showed the animals to families interested in adoption, took animals in for checkups and vaccinations, helped the animal control officers with new arrivals by helping them with weighing, vaccinations, pictures, and finding a place in the shelter for them to live until they are adopted. I also helped with taking pictures and videos of the dogs to post onto Youtube and Facebook.

Contact Name and Number:

 Romy Reid (she has my specific log sheet of the dates and times I went to the shelter; every month she takes our time sheets and puts in a new one)

Email: Rreid@animalcare.lacounty.gov

Phone: 562-256-1364

Lance Hunter (animal control manager)

Email: lhunter@animalcare.lacounty.gov

Phone: 626-430-2364

Interpretive

The most important thing I gained from this experience is learning the proper care and treatment of animals and working with the animal care attendants and animal control officers. If it weren't for these people I would not know what I know today about my senior project. I am able to talk about my topic, EQ, and answers not only through what I have researched but from personal experiences. All of my answers to my EQ can be supported through my experience at the shelter.

Applied

My experience at the shelter witnessing different cases of abuse, working with animal rescues, interviewing the animal care attendants and control officers, working with the animals and helping them find a home helped me answer my EQ. I felt volunteering there was a wonderful experience and a great way to help animals so I decided one of my best answers would be to volunteer at a local animal shelter or work with an animal related organization. The employees at the shelter, specifically the sergeant and the officers, helped me realize the importance of prosecuting an animal abuser; this helped me with my best answer to my EQ.

2 Hour Presentation Draft

Sponge Activity: I plan on showing a clip of different pictures of animals that are suffering while the students walk into the classroom or once they are all seated. Afterwards I plan on asking them if they have any pets of their own and to share with the class.

Introduction:
What is the most effective way to take a stand against animal cruelty?

• effective: successful in producing a desired result to accomplish a purpose in order to make a striking impression
• take a stand: to take action; to stand up for others as well as yourself; to adopt a firm belief or position regarding an issue.
• animal cruelty: an animal that is intentionally put through harm, pain, and suffering at the expense of human beings other than self-defense; they are used for food, entertainment, clothing, profit, etc.

     I chose this topic because throughout the years I have always had a strong passion for animals. Through my elementary and middle school years I changed my profession from Pocahontas (lol because she had animals and lived with them in the forest), to a veterinarian, to a zoo keeper, lawyer, back to veterinarian, and it just kept going on and on. I was what one would call an Animal Planet kid. I watched, as I still do today, that channel all the time. I know almost everything about animals because of it. When I decided to volunteer at the Baldwin Park Animal Shelter to finish up my hours from junior year an to work with animals I realized what I wanted to work on my senior year. Seeing animals come in hurt and in pain, talking to the animal control officers about different cases, and personal experiences in all lead me to try to find the bet ways people can help animals.

     My plan for the day is to talk about my 3 answers along with activities that correspond with them. I will conclude with my best answer, important sources, and my product of my project.

Foundation: I plan on talking about the history behind animal rights and cruelty.

Body:
Answer 1: Fight for the strong passage of anti-cruelty laws and prosecution
Activity: I plan on putting together a mock trial with an actual animal cruelty case

Answer 2: Know how to recognize animal cruelty and how to report it
Activity: I may or may not have an activity for this answer. If i do have an activity I would at first have the class work together on one problem and then afterwards in pairs on a worksheet with various situations. I want them to figure out what type of cruelty is occurring and depending on the severity of the situation who they should call if they are witnesses to it.

Answer 3: Join or form an organization/ volunteer at a local animal shelter or animal rescue
Activity: Put the class into different groups to put together an advertisement campaign for adoption or animal cruelty awareness.

Conclusion:

• My best answer is fight for the strong passage of anti-cruelty laws and prosecution. These laws ensure animals their safety and respect as well as regulate how people treat them. 
• My three most important sources have to be "Animal Rights: A Beginner's Guide", "Animal Cruelty Prosecution", and the professionals I interviewed at my service learning center; Sergeant Villegas and Isha Willits. These sources helped me learn the importance and severity of animal cruelty, the basis of animal rights and different standpoints, the process of prosecuting an abuser and the sources you need in order to win and speak on behalf of an animal, and has allowed me to have my own personal experiences with animals that have been hurt and put through suffering and how to help and care for them.
• After continuous research and volunteering at the animal care center I have decided to go into law school after I receive my bachelor's in business administration and accounting. There are a few law schools in the U.S. that cover animal law so once I receive my degree and pass the bar exam I would like to work for not only people but animals too.

     I plan on covering all of the walls and posting up pictures or posters of animals that have been abused and maybe some campaign posters, for example like PETA.

     All I need for my two hour presentation is my powerpoint with all of my information, the materials I need for my activities, and the posters I need for my room decor.

Independent Study Component 2

1. Log: During the month of February and a bit of March Monday -Wednesday, sometimes Thursday, for about 2-3 hours.

2. Evidence: Mandatory Volunteer T-Shirt and Leash

3a. I, Sarah Sartori, affirm that i completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.

3b. I completed 30 more hours at my  service learning at the Baldwin Park Animal Shelter.  I helped with adoptions, taking care of the animals, bringing in animals brought by the animal control officers and helping with their pictures, weigh in, shots, paperwork, etc. 

4. I completed 30 hours of worked because I signed in, assisted the animal control officers and care attendants, and signed out. During the month of February i had already completed over 30 hours according to my log sheet in the managers office.

5. Volunteering at an animal shelter is actually one of my answers to my essential question. So my service learning as well as this component are an example of that.

Independent Component 2 Update

1. What are you doing to fulfill the 30 hour requirement for this component?
     I am volunteering 30 hours at my service learning center.
2. What are you currently working on? How many hours have you completed?
     I have already completed my hours at the shelter by being a dog/cat care taker as well as shelter host.
3. So far, how is it helping you with your essential question?
     My service learning plus these extra hours help back up one of my answers to my EQ: "join/form and organization/ volunteer at a local animal care center (animal shelter/rescue).

Creative Expression

1. What type of art could you study to help improve your understanding of your senior project topic?
     I think studying the work of organizations like PETA will help me a lot not only with  my senior project but especially with my creative expression presentation. I plan to study their various campaigns against animal cruelty like their "Bare Skin" ads etc.
2. Ideas.
     I am not sure yet but I am thinking of doing something digital photography wise or perhaps a painting or drawings because those are my strongest points.

The Product

As of March, what is your product and why?
     Through my nearly 100 hours of service learning and extensive research of laws and cases pertaining to animal cruelty I have decided to not only pursue my BA in business administration and accounting but another 2 to 3 years in law school to get my degree so that I can use that to help people AND animals as well. I have realized how much animals need are help in the legal area and have decided that my passion would be to help them in any way I can.

Fourth Interview Questions

1. What is the most effective way to take a stand against animal cruelty?
2. How do can one report an animal cruelty or neglect situation in their area?
3. How does one become an animal cop or care attendant?
4. What other jobs are available that help animals?
5. Is there any evidence of a link between animal abuse and human violence?
6. How do I know if an animal is too thin?
7. What constitutes animal cruelty?
8. What constitutes federal cruelty to animals?
9. What information should I have on hand when I make a report of animal cruelty?
10. Do you believe animals should have rights? Why or why not?
11. What are some ways to rehabilitate previously abused pets?
12. What happens when authorities prosecute an animal cruelty case?
13. What is the difference between a state humane agent and an animal control officer?
14. What happens to animals who have been seized from an abusive home or fighting operation?
15. What can someone do on a daily basis, that will not effect their daily routines, to help animals?
16. Why is animal cruelty a concern?
17. What is the penalty for animals cruelty in California?
18. How many animals enter the Baldwin Park Animal Shelter every day? Week? Year?
19. How many animals are euthanized?
20. How long are animals kept in the shelter before they are adopted or put down?

Independent Study 2

1. Discuss possible ideas you have to complete this requirement?
     I plan on doing another 30 hours at the animal care center.
2. How will this help answer your EQ?
     At the animal care center I have hands on experience with animals and am ale to work with animal care attendants and officer who know quite a lot about animal cruelty. One of my answers to my EQ is "join or form an organization or volunteer at an animal rescue or shelter to help educate people and care for animals," so this just makes me more positive and prepared for my EQ.

Final Draft

What is the most effective way to take a stand against animal cruelty?
(A) Introduction
1. Describe a general overview of your presentation.
     Ask what they already know about animal rights and clarify what it is, and various types of cruelty they have heard of or seen. I will then discuss various cases in the U.S. involving animal cruelty and the categories they are put into. My activity will be require everyone, and a partner, to identify a category of cruelty with an actual case. Afterwards I will give a brief description of the cases they were given.
2. Purpose or objectives of your presentation
     Purpose is to introduce what animal rights is and learn the different types of cruelty and cases they are filed under.
(B) Body
1. Major Point 1
     What is animal rights and anti-cruelty law statuses in the U.S. (5 minutes)
2. Major Point 2
     Different types of cruelty categories and cases in the U.S. (5minutes)
3. Major Point 3
     Activity: Partners will determine which cruelty categories go with which actual case. Afterwards I will give a brief description of the case and its current status.
4. Activity
    The class will get together with a partner to determine which cruelty categories go with which current abuse case in the U.S.
5. How will this activity help the students understand the major points you already covered?
      It will make them more aware of what they already have basic knowledge of but to actually hear what goes on in detail to animals by sick people and how the law affects it.
(C) Conclusion
1. Summarize the essential points and discuss how this is connected to the EQ
     Knowing various cases and laws helps individuals better understand how to fight for the strong passage of anti-cruelty laws.
2. What was your most important source for this presentation and why?
     pet-abuse.com is my most important source because it has provided with a full list of every abuse case in the U.S. and Canada and well as various graphs involving different types of cruelty.

Independent Study 1

1. Log
     Between January 14th and January 28th. Went to each sophomore and junior class more than twice a week to make announcements and updates, pass out flyers, and collect the donations.

2.

 3a.) I, Sarah Sartori, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.

3b.) Throughout 2 weeks I worked with the junior and sophomore classes in an animal shelter drive. The students had a variety of items to choose from to help out hundreds of animals. Here are the results in total (including myself and family):

• 17 blue medical clothes
• 20 small towels
• 4 large towels
• 59 grocery bags
• 3 hand sanitizers
• 25 lidocaine injections
• 17 povidone-iodine solutions
• 21 cans of dog food
• 28 dog bones
• 4 bags/boxes of dog food
• 19 bags/boxes of dog treats
• 5 large bowls
• 4 small bowls
• 3 rolls of trash bags
• 8 bags of cat treats
• 4 bags/boxes of cat food
• 5 gallon all-purpose bucket
• pooper scooper
• 2 pack oral hygiene kit
• pack of ear cleaning wipes
• dog shampoo
• 5 pens
• 10 pencils
• tie out stake
• 139 cans of cat food
• roll of doggy clean-up bags
• 4 leashes
• bag of rabbit food
• bag of aspen bedding
• bandana
• 2 cat toys
• 16 tennis balls
• 16 dog toys
• small blanket

3c.) During both weeks I made plenty of flyers about the animal shelter drive, went to all of the classes to persuade people to stop by the shelter and adopt or volunteer and donate something since the shelter I volunteer at is the largest in L.A. county. I had more trouble trying to count and put everything together than anything else. I set my goal of having to take at least a truck load in, meaning I didn't want to be given enough to fit into a small car, and luckily my goal was met and I filled up the back of my truck and took it all in.

3d.) This component helped me with my EQ because it showed a great example of what people can do to help animals. One of my answers to my EQ is "volunteer at a rescue or shelter in order to help educate  people and care for animals." Not only was I able to help and make a difference, but I was able to get a group of students to help donate and many were interested in becoming a volunteer like me.

Presentation 2 Rough Draft

What is the most effective way to take a stand against animal cruelty?


(A) Introduction


1. Describe a general overview of your presentation
     Ask what they already know about animal rights and cruelty, clarify what it is, and define what my EQ means.
     I might also base my presentation on my first independent component and the service learning I have achieved so far or I'm thinking about discussing various cases in the U.S. involving animal cruelty and tying in an activity that involves cases what type of cruelty was involved and the status on the cases.


2. Purpose or objectives of your presentation
     Purpose is to introduce one possible answer to my EQ and teach the class about it. So "joining or forming an organization or volunteering at an animal shelter" is the answer I am thinking about discussing and i'm going to tie my service learning in with it.


(B) Body


1. Major Point 1
     What is animal rights and anti-cruelty law statuses in the U.S. (5 minutes)


2. Major Point 2
     different types of cruelty and cases in the U.S. (5minutes)


3. Major Point 3
     Activity: take the information taught and basic knowledge to play a jeopardy type game....not quite sure yet (5-10 minutes)


4. Activity
    quiz type game teaching the class different types of cruelty, actual cases that are in currently in progress, and their statuses.


5. How will this activity help the students understand the major points you already covered?
      It will make them more aware of what they already have basic knowledge of but to actually hear what goes on in detail to animals by sick people and what the law can do about it.


(C) Conclusion


1. Summarize the essential points and discuss how this is connected to the EQ
     Knowing various cases and laws helps individuals better understand how to fight for the strong passage of anti-cruelty laws.


2. What was your most important source for this presentation and why?
     pet-abuse.com is my most important source because it has provided with a full list of every abuse case in the U.S. and Canada and well as various graphs involving different types of cruelty.

(D) Materials needed

ESLRs Check

1. Summary of how you've been an effective learner this year?
     Every week I try to find as much research as I can such as articles, books, interviews, etc. I have been working with the animal care attendants and officers at the Baldwin Park Animal Shelter/ Care Center since late August and have recently been going aggressively every week at least 2-4 times 3 hours a day. This month alone I have completed over 20 hours and have learned a lot from my mentors, from proper animal care, various abuse cases, and how to work with the public and adoptions. I am also passing every class with at least a P even with the stress of college applications and awaiting responses. Model Assembly also turned out great even though my bill did not last very long. I was lucky enough to earn a P along with Ms. Melogno's great commendations concerning my speeches and research binder.

2. Cite evidence from the senior project.
     Starting senior year I already knew exactly what my project topic would be and had already started my service learning at the care center. Throughout this first semester I have always been prepared with my research and WBs for every research check. I have also been able to research a sergeant and two animal care attendants at the shelter who have all given me great information. Working at the shelter has shown me the importance of all of my mentors and co-workers jobs as well as how to properly care for animals. This experience has given me the privilege of assisting in over 20 or more adoptions in the past 3 months.

3. What are specific ways that you can improve in this ESLR during second semester?
     A few ways I can improve this upcoming semester is definitely catch up on all of my margin notes on all of my research since I have a total of 32 sources overall so far. I also plan on going on a ride along with one of the animal officers. I think going out on the field and observing would help me with my project especially with my presentation because I will have first hand experience with what happens out there behind closed doors.

Service Learning 10 Hour Project Check

1.  I have provided quality care for shelter cats and dogs as well as assisting the kennel staff and fellow co-workers with basic cage/kennel cleaning, care and socialization, feeding, and exercise. I also help the general public, who are interested in adoption, find their ideal future pet companions. For example this Tuesday I helped a man find a small puppy for his 3 year old son. I have been involved in nearly 20 or so adoptions so far. This week I also saved and rushed a Siberian Husky, who licked open his wounds, to the veterinarian before his intestines and guts totally spilled out (heard this has happened before).
2.  I try to go every week for 4-8 hours. I have already completed over 30 hours.
3. The most significant thing I have learned through this experience is the shelters desperate need of the public's help. Hundreds of animals go through the Baldwin Park shelter every week alone and in order for all of these animals to survive and be adopted we need people to become better informed so that they can help with donations, adopt, and refer others. We need blankets, towels, toys, food, and more volunteers! I am there every week and its a great feeling when you help a poor helpless dog thats been locked up in a kennel get adopted and find a home and I just wish every animal in there can be but it doesn't always happen that way. So that is why we need huge support from the public.

Third Interview Questions

1. What kind of animal cruelty cases have you seen and personally handled, being that you are an animal control officer?
2. Are you currently prosecuting anyone? If so, for what?
3. What is the most horrific scene you have witnessed out on the field?
4. How often do you come across animal abusers?
5. Hw can one recognize an abuser?
6. How are abused animals treated once they are taken from the home?
7. What should owners, who have adopted a previously abused pet, know about the animal in order to care for it properly?
8. What should people know about the importance of your job?
9. What do you recommend people should do when they are witnesses to animal abuse?
10. In your opinion, what is the most effective way to take a stand against animal cruelty?