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Teacher receives award for course

from The Humane Society of the United States

(WORCESTER, MA – November 17, 2004)  The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation’s largest animal protection organization, announced three winners of its sixth annual Animals and Society Course Awards.  The awards recognize academic excellence in courses focusing on the relationship between people and animals. 

Belinda Recio of the Center for Effective Instruction at Worcester State College (WSC), in collaboration with the French River Education Center (FREC), was presented the Award for Innovation in the Study of Animals and Humans for her course, “Symbolism and Spirit of the Animal Kingdom:  Cross Curricular Activities for the K-8 Classroom.”  

According to Recio, her course “honors and celebrates animal presence in human lives by regarding animals (and their symbolic/spiritual signatures) as teachers.”  Noting the natural affinity between humans and animals, the course explores the human-animal relationship in mythology, folklore, spiritual traditions, poetry, and visual arts from other cultures throughout history and how to teach the curriculum to children. 

“The winning courses show thoughtful and clear originality both in the content and delivery of their subjects. The HSUS is delighted to see continued evolution of high quality instruction in the field of human-animal studies,” said Dr. Martin Stephens, vice president for animal research issues for The HSUS. 

Recio, a writer and educator with degrees in literature and anthropology, has developed dozens of educational publications for children and written several books for adults on subjects ranging from sacred arts to dream symbolism. This coming spring, she will be teaching a new graduate level course at WSC, called "Symbolism and Mythology of the Animal Kingdom Across the Curriculum." Recio hopes to inspire teachers to recognize and nurture the non-human animal presence that exists in the psyches of children. She lives with her husband on Boston’s North Shore.

The basis for selection of this year’s three winners includes criteria such as topic coverage, impact on the study of animals and society, and originality of approach.  Award categories include the Distinguished Existing Course Award, the Distinguished New Course Award, and the Award for Innovation in the Study of Animals and Society.   

The Humane Society of the United States (www.hsus.org) has more than eight million members and constituents. The non-profit organization is based in Washington and has ten regional offices across the country.  

The Center for Effective Instruction at WSC serves as an outreach and resource to educators at all levels throughout central Massachusetts. FREC, in conjunction with the Center for Effective Instruction at WSC, offers graduate courses in the Master of Education Program. FREC is a not-for-profit education support agency with the purpose of designing and implementing programs that assist in the education delivery system of its 13 member school districts.

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