A group of seventh grade students at Bonny Eagle Middle School sponsored a fundraiser to raise money to purchase pet resuscitation masks to be used by local fire departments.

The idea came from an article in a local newspaper, which teacher Karen Boucher shared with her students. The article highlighted a town in Vermont that had a group that donated resuscitation masks for pets to be used by local fire departments. The students thought it would be a good idea to find out if the towns in SAD 6 had them or needed them.

In 2005, the students found more than 40,000 pets died in house fires in the United States because of lack of oxygen and smoke inhalation (compared to 4,000 human deaths.) Pets are at a greater risk because they panic and hide. Approximately 63 percent of U.S. homes have pets and some of these homes have more than one pet.

The students sold homemade dog bones that they made in Vicki Montgomery’s math class. They also sponsored a hat day. Karen Boucher’s students spent time doing research, writing letters to local fire departments, sending out surveys, making fliers and posters, and decorating small paper bags with tags, labels, and ribbons to prepare for the fundraiser.

Theresa Bruni, of the nonprofit organization H.E.L.P. (Health, Educate, Love, and Protect), purchased the masks for the students. The fire chiefs and firefighters and rescue personnel from all four towns in the district were represented at the presentation of the masks: Chief Davis of Hollis, Chief Graves of Buxton, and Chief Jordan of Standish/Limington.

At the presentation, the students presented a skit explaining the entire experience. Students involved in the presentation and the fundraisers: Welcome – Ryan Cannell and Riley Heroux; Background Informational Skit and Newspaper article – Tom Rhoades; “Paws”itive Cause – Jessica Avery; Research – Stephanie Aiken; Slide Show – Megan Whitman; Approval from Mr. Stevens – Morgan Smith; Surveys to local Fire Departments – Davey Swan; Fliers – Curtis LaBelle; Posters – Laura Harmon; Fundraising – Emma Goff, C.J. Ahlquist, Kayla Noyes, Nate Youland and Cody Pratt; Purchasing – Jessica MacDonald.

Standish Animal Control Officer Jack Freitas talked to the students about personal experiences with animals in fires and demonstrated the mask on his dog, a hoverwart named Sam.