Man’s best friend is joining McIntosh students in class

McIntosh's first bring your pets to school day April 31

Mar 30, 2023

At McIntosh on Mon., April 31, students will be allowed to bring their pets to school. This includes all pets such as dogs, cats, lizards, birds and many more.

Dogs and cats will be allowed without any conflict upon the date of occurrence, however, other pets will need to be registered by Sun., April 16. To register your pets after spring break you will be able to find a form in the front office and once returned students will receive a bracelet with their pet’s name, species and certification by McIntosh High School.

Principal Maggie Walls is excited for this new opportunity for both students and the animals – especially in light of custodial shortages.

“We’re going to bring our pets who will clean up the trash and then lick the tables,” Walls said.

Students are as excited.

“I’m excited I get to bring [my horse] Charles Lee into the building now, rather than have him be tied up outside on the bicycle rack all day,” said sophomore Ava Flores. Ava Flores

“I have two dogs and cannot wait to bring them to school. Their names are Strawberry and Donut. Strawberry is a Chihuahua and Donut is an orange and white-haired Great Dane. They both love people, however, I am hoping that I can find a friend to help me out with keeping track of them both throughout the day,” junior Patrick Evans said.

The administration hopes that this day will become a bimonthly activity if all goes well. The plan is that students will be more inclined to learn with their fluffy friends around. Also, students will have a day that can allow for a mental break.

Some students are nervous about the upcoming day as they have allergies to specific animals.

“I am very much against [bring your pet to school day] cause I have a severe allergy to all dog and cat furs. I think that I might just have to skip school on that day unless I can convince everyone not to bring their animals,” freshman Rachel Hollis said.

Students who experience drastic allergic reactions to pet fur will be excused on April 31. Though they will have to provide proof of their allergy by providing a doctor’s note to the attendance office.

“I plan on bringing my cat to school. I just bought this cat carrier backpack on amazon and am jumping off the walls at the chance to bring it to school. My cat is super calm and I am sure that he will really enjoy coming to my classes. He is a Sphynx cat named Skate,” sophomore Addison Macall said.

Some teachers are hoping to use some of the pets to their advantage when teaching specific subjects. For example, in biology now that most classes have entered evolution and ecology many teachers plan to frame certain pets into the criteria and units being taught, so students can tell their teachers ahead of time about their exotic pets.

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“[W]e won’t have to worry about weeds. The grass has gotten so tall we’re going to put that horse in the courtyard.”

— Principal Maggie Walls

“I have the cutest Sugar Glider named Crystal. I am already imagining her gliding all around my classrooms and being a spark of interest,” senior Nathan Garcia said.

Another potential benefit of “bring your pets to school,” is the amount of help the animals can potentially provide the campus.

“We’ll think about expanding to goats to keep the grass cut,” Lakly said.

“And then we won’t have to worry about weeds,” Walls said. “The grass has gotten so tall we’re going to put that horse in the courtyard.”

Many students are overly excited about the opportunity and cannot wait for the chance to showcase their interesting pets.

“I am ecstatic about the chance to bring my pets to school! I have a whole colony of ants and I am sure it will be the talk of the school,” freshman Kevin Baldwin said.