Meet Prada, the new Menasha High School therapy dog
MENASHA – A new teacher’s pet will be at Menasha High School starting this fall to bring a smile to any students having a "ruff" day.
The school will welcome Prada, a 3-year-old yellow Lab, next school year. As a trained therapy dog, she will be stationed in the school guidance office to help students regulate emotions, control anxiety and provide other cognitive benefits, said Principal Adam Baier.
The school district adopted Prada earlier this month from Can Do Canines, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that provides assistance dogs to people with disabilities. She’s living with one of the art teachers, Erin Culligan, who described Prada as loving and playful, but “all business” when she puts her work vest on.
“Her impact on our population will be immense and valuable,” Culligan said.
Prada and the staff still have some training to do, so she won’t work with students until next school year. One of the school counselors will be her main handler, but other staff members will also be trained to work with her.
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Prada may offer emotional and academic benefits to students
Students and teachers will be able to request time with Prada, Baier said.
One example of a situation when Prada might be able to help is on standardized testing days to calm students who feel stressed or anxious.
“Anything that we can do to help relax a student will help with their concentration, attention and, hopefully, their motivation,” Baier said.
In addition to lowering stress, research shows that therapy dogs in school settings can promote engagement in learning activities and reduce negative behaviors such as aggression in the classroom.
Therapy dogs can enhance a student’s well-being, which can trickle down to lower absenteeism, better peer relationships and other increased learning outcomes, according to an article published on the National Library of Medicine website.
That same research article also notes that dog-assisted reading programs — such as having a student read aloud to a dog instead of a teacher — have had "some promising results."
Prada isn’t hypoallergenic, but Baier said families will be notified about Prada so the school can be aware of students with allergies. That’s also why Prada will mostly be available by request. When she's in common settings, Baier said, there will be space for students with allergies to spread out or remove themselves as necessary.
Prada will be available to respond to crises across the district, but at least for the first year, she will stay at the high school. Baier said staff members want to get to know her better before they explore extending her role to other buildings.
Baier said the district applied for a School-Based Mental Health Services Grant through the state Department of Public Instruction to help with costs related to Prada, but is still waiting to hear whether it was awarded the money.
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Reach AnnMarie Hilton at ahilton@gannett.com or 920-370-8045. Follow her on Twitter at @hilton_annmarie.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Menasha High School is adding a therapy dog to 2023-24 school year
