The fifth-grade class at Ma'ema'e Elementary wants to make sure that all of Hawai'i's animals are safe from abuse and neglect.

The students and teacher Donna Nakamura received an award from the Hawaiian Humane Society on Thursday for their efforts to promote awareness about animal cruelty in Hawai'i.

Led by Nakamura, the school's 100 fifth-graders conducted research and community outreach during the 2007-2008 school year, creating podcasts, donating money to the Humane Society, and working with area state Rep. Corrine Ching to introduce an animal cruelty bill in the House during the legislative session this year.

"They were becoming little advocates, little champions for animals, and actually making a difference in their community," said Billie Lueder, Hawaiian Humane Society education outreach manager. "That's what we're really trying to push for — more meaningful types of service-learning projects."

Service-learning projects, which are required every year by the DOE, are more in-depth than service projects because they require students to research an issue in the community before performing their service.

"Once we went into service-learning, it really did beef up the students' ownership, their commitment, and their understanding, because they got more information," Nakamura said.

At the beginning of the school year, students elected to work on learning about and helping homeless and abused animals.

"I voted for animal cruelty because I wanted to know what happens to animals that get hurt, and if we can do something to help them," said Cassidy Apo, a student who accompanied Nakamura and classmate Daniel Brandt to the Humane Society awards luncheon.

Daniel added, "We shouldn't treat animals badly, because they are kind of like people."

After conducting research on animal cruelty in Hawai'i and visiting with Lueder, the students created a series of educational podcasts that were posted on the school's Web site. Fifth-grade representatives also convinced the Ma'ema'e Student Council to donate the concession stand proceeds from the annual student vs. teacher volleyball game to the Hawaiian Humane Society.

Nakamura and her students weren't done yet, though.

"We decided to make a bill that protects animals, so that if you are mean to them, then you'll be punished," Daniel said.

Ching visited the school to help the students create a bill that would define abuse to any animal — not just pets — as a felony. The students then wrote letters to the House Judiciary Committee asking that the bill be heard, and prepared for a mock public hearing.

"Rep. Ching really wanted to know what they (the students) were thinking and feeling, rather than me trying to convey that to her," Nakamura said. "She then tried to put it together into a packet that was passable."

While no action was taken on the bill this session, the students continue to advocate kindness to animals in their community.

"I make sure that people don't litter, in case ... another animal chokes on it, because they can suffocate and die," Cassidy said.

The fifth-grader added, "It feels good that I can kind of help the environment and that we could help the animals in the community."

Nakamura said: "You know, we do a service-learning project every year, and really the goal is to empower the students to effect change in their future, our future. Receiving this award was really just the icing on the cake. I really feel honored by Billie (Lueder) and the Humane Society because they really taught the kids that any good deed makes a difference.

"And that's the whole idea, to teach them to do good deeds — no matter how big, how small — and to make a difference."