It’s easy to see that Jim and Kim Slagel of Kaneohe are just as passionate about teaching as they are about giving back to the community.

He teaches English and she teaches mathematics at Kamehameha Schools.

The couple have been teaching for more than 20 years as well as helping to prepare meals for the homeless and assisting students in setting up a trap-neuter-and-release program for feral cats on the Kapalama campus.

The Slagels have a unique warmth and sense of humor about them, as well as a genuine love for animals.

The pair have been known to nurse orphan ducklings and chickens in need, and have at one time or another adopted needy dogs, cats and a rabbit into their home.

Paul Hughes, a neighbor who nominated the Slagels for Heroes Next Door, said, "Over the years, the Slagels have been heroes to enough animals to fill a Noah’s Ark."

When Hughes first met the Slagels 17 years ago, he recalled that Kim was hand-feeding a blind kitten while Jim was using an eyedropper to medicate an orphaned duckling.

The couple’s love for animals is most apparent when you see them with their two basset hound "children," Odell and Hastings.

Odell, 10, is a rescue from Arizona Basset Hound Rescue. Hastings, 5, was abandoned as a pup and adopted from the Hawaiian Humane Society. Both are named after Agatha Christie novel characters.

For the Slagels, teaching extends beyond final exams, letter grades and the walls of the classroom. It includes going out into the community, getting involved and making a difference.

In the early ’90s they helped start an Amnesty International club, which gave students a bridge to world issues and helped them see firsthand how they could make an impact.

Students wrote letters to the government and participated in beach cleanups and in the annual AIDS Walk. They helped cook meals for the homeless once a month at the Church of the Crossroads.

They also started a Treehuggers club, with initiatives including a recycling program on campus and volunteering for the Kokua Hawaii Foundation’s concerts and events.

The Treehuggers club has since grown a new branch, the Cat and Dog Huggers Club, which helps care for the feral cats on campus and bathes dogs at shelters.

This year Kim adopted out about a dozen kittens to her students.

The Slagels have worked in partnership with several organizations, including the Hawaii Cat Foundation, Friends for Life and Oahu SPCA, and say they are grateful the school has been supportive of their efforts.

Why do they do what they do?

Jim, 56, said having grown up relatively privileged, he feels compelled to give back.

"When we camp, we leave the campsite way better than we found it," he said. "That’s kind of how we feel, why we went into teaching. That same philosophy got us into community service."

Teaching has been rewarding more than challenging, he said, especially when they see the growth in their students.

Kim, 54, said, "We just teach by modeling. We don’t badger anybody. We just say, ‘Here’s the opportunity, come if you want to,’ and luckily, a lot of the kids find it enjoyable."

It’s also nice to be able to interact with students outside the classroom, she said, whether it be in the midst of chopping up apples in the kitchen or bathing dogs at a no-kill shelter.

The reward is when students graduate and seek out opportunities to volunteer in the community on their own initiatives.

"That’s our true mission as an educator — to build lifelong lessons," she said.

They have kept in touch with students over the years and have a wall at home covered with unique pieces of artwork, much of it featuring basset hounds, some of it by former students.

Besides their love for animals, the Slagels have a signature look — tie-dye fashions, sort of a tribute to Kim’s brother-in-law, who was a chauffeur for Jerry Garcia, lead guitarist of the Grateful Dead.

They teach students how to tie-dye and sell the colorful, recycled clothing items as a fundraiser for the school’s Cat and Dog Huggers Club. And yes, Odell and Hastings also wear tie-dye.