How do therapy dogs help to make a healthy community? The PreK class with Mrs. Hertzke at Grass Lake School can tell you! They experienced learning with the help of some canine friends. The first guest was Meditative Groomer, Stephenie Calhoun. Stephenie shared her love for dogs with the PreK class, showing them ways to care and groom dogs in a positive and calm manner. This approach to grooming stemmed from Stephenie discovering her own neurodiverse issue that took her on a learning journey. This has translated into a holistic approach and her career that allows her to offer training for others like her to have a career that meets their needs as well as dogs.
The second visitor that supported the Project Based Learning project in this PreK class was Superintendent Dr. William Newby. He brings his therapy dog, Albus to school on a regular basis. In this situation he worked with the PreK class to understand ways to approach and interact with dogs. Albus was the model teacher, giving the children an opportunity to learn how dogs can be supportive of human therapy. A dog named Comfort demonstrated how he interacts inside a nursing home facility and provides ways to alert others when something is medically wrong with a patient. Students certainly were able to see first hand what man’s best friend has to offer a community.
