Speegleville Elementary Students Create Artistic Keepsakes for Shelter Animals

Fourth-graders partner with local animal shelter to paint portraits and write stories for adoptable pets

Published on Feb. 5, 2026

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Students at Speegleville Elementary School in Waco, Texas have teamed up with the Pet Circle Animal Shelter on a project that transforms adoptable animals into the subjects of portrait art and creative storytelling. The completed artworks will be given to families who adopt the animals, creating a meaningful memento that celebrates both the pet and the young artist behind the creation.

Why it matters

The project helps bridge the gap between the classroom and real-world impact, allowing students to combine their creativity and compassion to make a tangible difference in their local community. It also gives the shelter animals a personalized narrative that can help them find loving homes.

The details

Fourth-grade art students painted portraits of animals available for adoption at Pet Circle Animal Shelter and wrote original stories to accompany each piece. The Hippie Howl also donated treat bags and bandanas for the animals as part of the initiative. The completed artworks will be given to the families who adopt the featured pets, creating a special keepsake that celebrates the animal and the young artist.

  • The project took place in January 2026, with students completing the portraits and stories by January 27th.
  • On January 27th, the shelter's communications and marketing specialist, Windy Leal, visited Speegleville Elementary to receive the completed artworks from the students.

The players

Speegleville Elementary School

A local elementary school in Waco, Texas where the art project took place.

Pet Circle Animal Shelter

A local animal shelter that partnered with the elementary school on the project to provide adoptable pets as subjects for the student artwork.

Claudia Scarborough

The art teacher at Speegleville Elementary who organized the project to connect her students' creativity with community impact.

Windy Leal

The communications and marketing specialist at Pet Circle Animal Shelter who visited the school to receive the completed artworks.

The Hippie Howl

A local business that generously donated treat bags and bandanas for the shelter animals as part of the initiative.

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What they’re saying

“I wanted to do something for the community. I think that doing an art project that kind of connects art and creativity and empathy and connecting the art to a real-world project for the kids helped them connect it to the real world. When you can combine creativity and compassion, seeing that they can do something for the community and seeing that their artwork goes past the classroom — that's powerful.”

— Claudia Scarborough, Art Teacher (kwtx.com)

“There's just something about making something personal with a shelter dog that doesn't really have a story. And these children created these stories for these dogs. What do you think it's going to mean to the families that adopt an animal and that get one of these amazing portraits along with the story? I feel like I would have loved something like this whenever I adopted my dog from the shelter. It's something so special to have a piece of art that is just focused on your dog. Not only will you fall in love with the dog, but you can fall in love with the art and you can fall in love with the story.”

— Windy Leal, Communications and Marketing Specialist (kwtx.com)

What’s next

The school plans to continue the project in future years, partnering with the animal shelter to provide more opportunities for students to create personalized artwork and stories for adoptable pets.

The takeaway

This project demonstrates how schools can empower students to use their creativity and compassion to make a tangible difference in their local community. By connecting the classroom to real-world impact, the students at Speegleville Elementary were able to provide a meaningful gift to families adopting shelter animals, while also developing valuable skills in art, storytelling, and community engagement.