“Cocoa was so excited when we got here this morning,” said John Jay Middle School’s social worker Ray DiStephan. “Her tail was wagging up a storm.”
We were sitting in his office, in the Guidance Center, where DiStephan counsels students individually. Behind his desk, a dog crate was built into a hutch. It was as if it had been there forever. But it was day one—Cocoa’s first day at the middle school.
Cocoa is John Jay Middle School’s second therapy dog. Their first, Rhodie, was a much-loved companion to students for several years. Welcoming Cocoa is part of the District's commitment to nurturing students’ well-being and helping them thrive both inside and outside the classroom.
“Cocoa will work within our school community to provide emotional support to students experiencing anxiety, stress or other emotional challenges,” said Principal Jeff Swiatowicz. “Research has shown that therapy dogs can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression and improve overall emotional well-being.”
The gentle, ten-year-old chocolate lab mix is the DiStephan family’s pet. She became a certified therapy dog this summer through ROAR—an animal rescue and therapy dog certification program in Ridgefield, CT.
Cocoa's discipline—and the students’—was put to the test on her first day at middle school. There was a fire drill.
DiStephan head to the upper parking lot with Cocoa, where his role is to check in with the dozen or so teachers and classes that gather there, and report attendance back to the administrator in charge. Quiet lines and focus on the teachers’ directions are paramount.
Cocoa seemed to sense the situation. She stayed by DiStephan’s side, as if she were trying not to call attention to herself.
Once the all-clear signal was given, students and teachers came over to pet her.
“Be careful, she’s a kisser,” said DiStephan.