Stone Mountain School Welcomes Modern Teaching Tools That Make Compassion a Part of Science Classes
For Immediate Release:
February 9, 2012
Contact:
Kristin Richards 202-483-7382
Black Mountain, N.C. -- When students at the Stone Mountain Boarding School for Boys start learning about animal anatomy, none of them will have to cut into an animal. That's because the school is implementing a state-of-the-art, all-virtual dissection laboratory that uses computer software to teach the students. To help, PETA—through its national educational grants program—is donating the popular ScienceWorks' Dissection Works Deluxe to the school. Interactive software such as Dissection Works—which includes virtual dissection modules of frogs, fetal pigs, earthworms, crayfish, and perch—has been shown to teach anatomy better than animal dissection.
"We're delighted to help Stone Mountain take the lead in teaching biology with humane, modern methods," says PETA Vice President of Laboratory Investigations Kathy Guillermo. "Countless frogs, pigs, cats, and other animals are still killed for dissection at less progressive schools even though non-animal methods for teaching biology are far superior."
The millions of animals who are used in school dissections come from biological supply houses, which breed some animals and obtain others from animal shelters or the wild. Comparative studies have repeatedly shown that non-animal teaching methods, such as interactive computer programs, are more effective at teaching biology than crude animal-based methods. These programs also save time and money and increase student confidence and satisfaction. The National Science Teachers Association endorses the use of modern non-animal methods as replacements for animal dissection.
Based in the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests, Stone Mountain is a year-round boarding school for preadolescent and teenage boys with emotional and learning struggles, such as attention deficit disorder. In addition to math, science, and other standard school subjects, students learn fine arts, such as woodworking, and participate in outdoor activities, including swimming, hiking, and canoeing.
For more information, please visit PETA.org/Dissection. To learn more about ScienceWorks and Dissection Works Deluxe, please visit ScienceClass.com.