Animalearn has named 13-year-old Jenna Ward of McCarthy Middle School in Chelmsford as its 2016 Humane Student of the Year for her dedication to the protection of frogs often used for dissection in science class, according to a staff report from The Lowell Sun.

“Animalearn is proud to recognize Jenna Ward with our 2016 Humane Student of the Year Award for her efforts to make positive change for frogs,“ said Nicole Green, director of Animalearn.

“I was inspired by Jenna’s science-fair project because she shed light on frog dissection and also garnered a lot of support for her petition.”

Jenna first contacted Animalearn when she was looking for help with her science-fair project that focused on problems with using frogs as dissection specimens.

She carefully researched the issue and also reached out to companies that have developed innovative alternatives such as Digital Frog and Froguts.

Jenna’s goal was to shine a light on the alternatives and encourage the school community to sign a petition which advocated for a switch to digital dissections.

“I am so excited and honored to receive this award!” enthused Jenna. “I hope that because of this award, I can convince my school to go completely virtual with frog dissections.“

Read more about the young animal protector at The Lowell Sun by clicking here.