The American Nicaraguan School has several clubs including Pink Club, She’s The First, and Rescatando Huellas. These are clubs that help support a certain cause or educate others on their work, in order to promote helping others. Rescatando Huellas, for example, is a club at ANS that helps and supports an animal rescue shelter in Nicaragua. This club has supported the Rescatando Huellas shelter for several years since it began to operate. From bake sales to field trips, this is a very popular and likable club at ANS because at the end of the day, the end goal is to help the animals.
Bottom row left to right: Maren Emerton, Vanessa Artiles, Ms. Katia Chica, and Sarahi Huang
The club of Rescatando Huellas at ANS was started by student Maria Alejandra Morales five or six years ago, says Kathia Chica, the teacher/advisor of this club. Maria Alejandra discovered this shelter and took initiative to start a club that was different from others. Most of the other clubs at school focused on helping humans or the environment. However, Maria Alejandra knew that creating a club that involved helping animals would bring a lot of joy to kids at ANS, and would be a huge success. Since she started the club , the members of the club have had a great commitment to fix/help the shelter.
Vanessa Artiles joined the club in 6th grade and became president in 8th grade, making her the president two years in a row. “I love being able to help the animals in any way I can, whether that’s by buying resources for them like food, or taking field trips to help keep the environment they live in safe and liveable. I enjoy being the president and I plan on running til I graduate.”
Vanessa loves being able to form a stronger connection with the people in the club, the owners of the shelter, and the animals. This shelter has over 50 dogs, over 10 cats and used to have two pigs. “The owners of this shelter are always looking for help with supplies, as well as human involvement with the dogs,” mentioned Vanessa.
Every once in a while the club will take trips to the shelter located 40 minutes from the American Nicaraguan School, and take items they need, such as water, dog food, and rakes. The shelter also appreciates the clubs’ involvement with the dogs and cats because it keeps the animals more energized, friendly, and happy.
All of the animals are rescues looking for homes or even just someone they can play with, something the Rescatando Huellas club is proud to say that they have accomplished.
Although they still have several dogs at the shelter, the club continues and will continue to make an involvement to improve and reduce the amount of animals in the shelter.
