2021 Education magazine

2021 Education Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS February 18, 2021 Page 27 Continued p family. When her kids asked for a puppy, she decided that whatever puppy they got would be a therapy dog. She had read about therapy animals, thought it was special, and decided to research the training involved. Hesse and Casey, a yellow lab, enrolled in obedience classes, but took a break when the training and a full-time job became too much. With encouragement from her mentor, who has two therapy dogs in District #87, Hesse and Casey became certified through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Alliance of Therapy Dogs is celebrating 30 years of “sharing smiles & joy” at no cost to the facilities that the dogs and their handlers visit. An international registry of certified dog therapy teams, ATD provides testing, certification, registration, support, and insurance for volunteers who share their therapy dog with schools, rehab facilities, hospitals, cancer centers, college campuses and more. Sheridan School Principal at the time, Jen McGowan, was highly interested in Casey going to the school. So, Casey’s first job was going to the school two days a week. That was a great beginning. Hesse uses this analogy: “The kids got off the bus and came into the school like Eeyore (grumpy to be at school) but approached her (Casey) like Tigger, pure joy on their faces.” One student did not want to get on the bus to home, so Casey rode the bus home with him. There are new assignments for Casey every week: kids practice reading to her, she is used as a reward for classroom parties, individual students or groups of students who meet goals, and she visits with students who may be anxious or sad. Covid hit and Hesse got a new job with Tri- County Special Ed Association. C-EL Special Education Administrator - Principal Ashely Aper knew that Hesse had a