Niles High School students’ newest resource for coping with stress and anxiety has all paws on deck Monday.
The Niles Community School Board approved a pilot program to bring a 7-year-old certified therapy dog, Derby, to work with students at Niles High School on Monday night at the Niles Administrative Office. School board members got a chance to meet the Chesapeake Bay Retriever during the evening.
Niles School District Superintendent Dan Applegate said he wanted to give board members a chance to interact with the dog before officially bringing her into the school.
It only took a few nuzzles from Derby to seal the deal.
“The board is 100 percent behind it,” Applegate said. “The board looked at the evidence and the research, and we are comfortable that they are going to follow our policies and the goals set forth. It is going to be well worth it.”
Parents were notified via letter of the dog’s arrival. School protocol is in place to protect students with allergies and those who do not want to interact with the dog.
Niles High School guidance counselor Carrie Rinehart is Derby’s owner and certified handler. Derby earned her certification through Therapy Dogs International after completing several classes.
In her three years serving the school as counselor, Rinehart said she has dealt with many students that do not know how to cope with the stress or anxiety.
A therapy dog has the potential to lower blood pressure, calm students and offer a way for them to open up as they talk to her, Rinehart said.
Derby will be available to students every day, so long as Rinehart is there. The dog will have her own space in Rinehart’s office, where students are welcome to visit the dog when they feel the need.
Derby will also start out by visiting students before a test or during reading time.
Niles High School principal Molly Brawley, who has served in the Niles Community School system since 1985, said she thought of the idea to bring a dog on board after researching how therapy dogs in the school environment can greatly relieve stress and anxiety.
“This is just one more resource,” Brawley said. “We want our kids to feel healthy and happy. Happy and healthy [students] do better and achieve more.”
Last week, the Niles Community Schools and Brandywine Schools hosted a community forum to discuss ways to discuss teen suicide. The forum was in part prompted by the death of Adam Stoops, who died after attempting to take his own life last fall.
Brawley said the tragedy, combined with the obvious need to offer more resources to students, prompted some ideas as to how they could help. Derby was one of those ideas.
“It brought forward the need for our [students],” Brawley said. “We wanted to bring in all the resources we could think of.”
Having Derby in the school will not cost the district any money at this time, Brawley said. Rinehart paid for the training and certification out of her own pocket, so the school has applied for local grants to cover the approximate $300 cost to Rinehart.
Rinehart will also be paying for her food and care. Derby will also get a leash upgrade, hopefully one with some Viking spirit, Rinehart said.
Derby’s personality also makes her the right dog for the job.
“She is well behaved and she is a good listener and she is absolutely a cuddle bug” Rinehart said. “I just firmly believe that the student body will embrace her.”