The multi-year S.A.V.E. program combines clinical experience, career certifications, college credits, and hands-on learning with a wide range of animals.
Tarpon Springs, FL - September 4, 2026 - High school students interested in veterinary medicine and animal-related careers can begin building real-world experience before graduation through the S.A.V.E. program at Solid Rock Community School.
S.A.V.E., which stands for Sanctuary for Animals and Veterinary Education, is a multi-year Veterinary and Humane Education Program designed for students in grades 9 through 12 who have a strong interest in animal care, veterinary medicine, wildlife conservation, rehabilitation, animal welfare, and related career pathways.
The program gives students opportunities to earn career certifications, accumulate practicum and clinical experience, and receive college credits while learning in a dedicated classroom and veterinary lab environment.
For Solid Rock Community School Founder Michele Fasnacht, the program grew naturally from the school’s broader mission and from experiences that shaped her own views on education, compassion, wellness, and animal advocacy.
Fasnacht has spoken about how childhood trauma, health challenges, and a later shift toward plant-based living influenced the way she thought about education and the role schools can play in helping children develop empathy, purpose, confidence, and responsibility.
“My own journey made me think deeply about what young people need from an education,” said Michele Fasnacht, School Founder. “Students need strong academics, but they also need opportunities to discover what matters to them, develop practical skills, and understand how their choices affect other living beings. S.A.V.E. gives students who care deeply about animals a meaningful way to explore that passion while they are still in high school.”
The program operates from a classroom and veterinary lab equipped with current animal-care and veterinary supplies and equipment. Instruction is provided by experienced professionals, including a veterinary technician and veterinarian, giving students exposure to people actively working in animal-related fields.
Coursework and hands-on experiences can include animal behavior, animal care, grooming, rescue and rehabilitation, animal rights law, natural and bioactive habitats, Humane Education, sustainable food and gardening, veterinary assisting, veterinary medicine, and wildlife conservation.
Students also have opportunities to work with a diverse range of animals.
Depending on available animals and appropriate educational activities, that exposure may include dogs and cats, farm animals such as pigs, cows, and chickens, exotic animals including chinchillas and hedgehogs, reptiles such as tortoises and bearded dragons, primates including marmosets and lemurs, and birds such as pigeons and parrots.
That range allows students to see that animal care is not one-size-fits-all.
Different species require different approaches to nutrition, behavior, habitats, handling, enrichment, observation, and health care. Students can begin developing an understanding of those differences while also learning the importance of patience, responsibility, teamwork, and attention to detail.
The amount of clinical and practicum experience students can complete depends partly on the grade in which they enter the program. Students who begin earlier in high school may have more time to build hours, earn certifications, and develop experience before graduation.
The goal is to give students a stronger foundation whether they plan to pursue veterinary medicine, veterinary technology, animal rehabilitation, conservation, grooming, animal advocacy, or another related field.
“S.A.V.E. is designed for students who already feel that strong connection to animals and want to understand where it could lead,” Fasnacht said. “They are not simply reading about these careers. They are gaining exposure to the work, learning from professionals, developing skills, and discovering whether a particular path feels right for them.”
The program also connects with Solid Rock Community School’s broader culture of Compassionate Humane Education.
Across the K–12 school, students are encouraged to think critically about their relationship with people, animals, and the environment. Programs involving animal care, sustainability, gardening, wellness, and experiential learning are intended to help students connect classroom knowledge with everyday choices and responsibilities.
For students enrolled in S.A.V.E., that philosophy becomes part of career preparation.
Solid Rock Community School aims to help students graduate with more than an idea of what they may want to do next. Through programs like S.A.V.E., students can begin developing the skills, experience, confidence, and perspective needed to take the next step toward college or a career.
About Solid Rock Community School
Solid Rock Community School is a private K–12 school in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The school combines individualized academics with hands-on learning, sustainability, wellness, animal care, and Compassionate Humane Education. Its programs are designed to help students grow academically, socially, emotionally, and ethically while developing confidence, responsibility, critical thinking skills, and a sense of purpose.
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Company Name: Solid Rock Community School
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City: Tarpon Springs
State: Florida
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