NJ School Wins Pet Care Trust’s Pets in the Classroom Success Story Video Contest

The Pet Care Trust‘s Pets in the Classroom grant program has announced the winners of its 2025 Success Story Video Contest, which invited teachers across the U.S. and Canada to share inspiring stories about how their classroom pets are positively impacting students.

The contest ran from March through April 2025, with voting open to the public on the Pets in the Classroom website. The top 10 vote-getters and one randomly selected entry were reviewed by a judging panel, who selected the final winners based on originality, impact, and alignment with the program’s values.

Educators were encouraged to submit original videos highlighting the unique ways pets enhance the classroom experience — whether by calming anxious students, sparking curiosity, encouraging reluctant readers, fostering empathy or teaching responsibility.

The 2025 contest winners are:

• 1st Place ($500): Grace Petroccia – Hillside, New Jersey
• 2nd Place ($250): Mary Beth Butler – Tucson, Arizona
• 3rd Place ($100): Drew Mossman – Buffalo, Minnesota

Watch the winning videos here.

“Teachers have shown us again and again how much classroom pets can inspire learning, reduce stress and build connections,” said Melinda Thomas, executive director of the Pet Care Trust. “This contest gave us a chance to shine a spotlight on those stories — and we were blown away by the passion, creativity, and care on display.”

The Pets in the Classroom grant program provides financial support to pre-K through 9th grade teachers to purchase and care for classroom pets. Since 2010, the program has approximately 260,000 grants, impacting an estimated 10.4 million students. Classroom pets have been shown to increase student engagement, improve academic performance, reduce anxiety, and foster empathy and responsibility.

Applications for the 2025–2026 grant cycle open July 1, 2025. To learn more or to apply, click here.