Vanguard Academy Welcomes Therapy Avie
By BOB LEWIS
Contributing Editor
WELCOME ABOARD: Among the first people to welcome Avie to Broken Arrow’s Vanguard Academy were, from the left, Ted Cundiff, CEO of AVB Bank, 10th grade students Liane Anthony, Olivia Sailsbury, Addison Skalla and Vanguard teachers Malinda Silva and Andrew Darrow.
A lot of people talk about negative aspects of stress in a classroom setting, but students from Broken Arrow’s Vanguard Academy did more than talk. They took it upon themselves to do something positive to help relieve these problems.
Now, their initiative for a therapy dog program has come to fruition.
The students’ extensive research and hard work is letting Vanguard host and foster a black four-month-old Golden Doodle named Avie. Training is underway and the unique staffer is expected to make her first school appearance in March.
School therapy dogs belong to an individual school and reside with a member of the school’s staff. Their job is to provide benefits to students in a variety of ways.
According to the Alliance for Therapy Dogs, interaction with these animals has been shown to reduce blood pressure, provide physical stimulation and assist with pain management. A visiting therapy dog promotes greater self-esteem and focused interaction with other students and teachers and it has been proven that therapy dogs stimulate memory and problem-solving skills.
A recent national survey of adolescent mental health found that 8-10% of teens ages 13 to 18 have some sort of anxiety disorder. Therapy dogs like Avie can lift moods in the classroom, often provoking laughter by providing friendship and a shoulder to lean on for students.
The BA students received considerable help from AVB Bank in getting this project off the ground. They are now asking the community to pitch in with food and financial assistance. For details, contact Vanguard Academy teacher Malinda Silva at [email protected].
