ALEI x Coolidge High School Project

Project Leadership

Kathy Hessler

Director, Assistant Dean

Dr. Jefferson Glassie

Coolidge High School Coordinator

About the Project

In the summer of 2022, Dr. Jefferson (Jay) Glassie from Calvin Coolidge Senior High School reached out to the GW Animal Law program for help with two things. First: participation in his animal-focused education for his Advanced Placement students, and second: work on the school’s institutional redesign around Wellness and Sustainability, with a focus on animal-based goals.

ALEI at GW Law partners with Dr. Glassie to work with his students in a number of ways:

• Consult about curriculum redesign for Dr. Glassie’s class as a pilot
  • Address the scope of animal issues, resources, and framing
  • Considerations about what is appropriate at the high school level including awareness of trauma-informed learning
• Presentations to the class on animal issues, including:
  • The Invigo beagle investigation: Presented on the legal aspects of the case and organized presentations from an investigator and a person who adopted a beagle, along with the beagle – who was the first dog to be at the school
  • Aquatic Animal Law
• Provide resources –materials, people, connections to organizations and advocates 
• Support and make visible the work of the students
  • Hosted at GW Law School in the Moot Court Room
  • Feedback sessions for student presentations
  • Host campus tours to help students see themselves as future college students and potential law students
  • Will host final written projects/blogs on ALEI website
    • Allows students to have a publication credit for their college applications
  • Media coverage of student presentations at the law school: GWToday,  EducationWeek, and LAWcares

The development of a website about animal legal issues for use by students and teachers is an ongoing project. The ALEI Coolidge Project has partnered with the Animal Legal Defense Fund and their Animal Law Program to revise content from their site for a high school audience. ALDF’s Alyssa Crowell is co-leading the effort with Dean Hessler, and the content is being edited with the support of two amazing volunteers, Kathy Casey and Shireef Elmakawi.

For more information, contact Assistant Dean Kathy Hessler.