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Fountain City, IN: Therapy dog keeps middle school students calm

Nov 21, 2018, Pal-Item.com, Fountain City, IN: Grace the therapy dog: Northeastern's calming effect for students https://www.pal-item.com/story/news/local/2018/11/21/therapy-dog-creates-better-environment-school/2053015002/ Tina Hicks calls her principal “innovative." … Hicks wanted to buy a dog and turn it into a therapy dog for the school. Here we are a year later, and Grace is a best friend to many NMS students. Grace is a year-old yellow Labrador retriever. … Hicks recalls many moments where Grace brightened the day of a student or staffer. One boy asked if he could pet Grace, and ended up spending a couple of minutes with her. When he stood up, he said to Hicks, “Thanks, I really needed that.” “Think about understanding kids’ stories and the baggage they bring. For those kids who don’t want to verbalize what’s going on, Grace calms them,” Sonsini said. “And we know that if kids’ brains are calm, they can learn.” … “She basically gets my mind off what I’m thinking about, and that helps because I don’t have to be anxious,” Blair said….

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