"We had a student that was struggling and having, just having a hard time, and she didn’t really feel like she had a friend or really someone she could really confide in or trust except for a neighbor’s dog,” Copper Basin Elementary School Principal Janessa Nipper said.
Nipper said hearing this reminded her of her time in college, studying the positive effects a dog can have on reading fluency and on a social and emotional aspect.
She recalled mentioning getting a dog for the school to their school resource officer Nathan Henderson, and come to find out, he had a litter of Lab puppies.
“I believe it’s a God thing,” she said.
While feeding the pups one morning, Henderson initially picked out a black one to give to the school, but he said the yellow one “gave him the look like ‘that should be me.’”
Nipper said of the dog, “She has the perfect personality. She’s just laid back.
She loves everybody. She’s very smart.”
Since the pup is for the students, Nipper asked that they write an essay, on their own time, about what she should be named and why.
In the end, Nipper and the judges were shocked with the amount of research and thought the students put into the essays.
“I chose Haven because it means a safe place,” one of the students wrote. “Also, Haven sounds like heaven, and in heaven you can not get sad ...”
One student, among several others, said the puppy should be named Angel because “she is a blessing to our school ... If we are feeling down we could get hugs and kisses.”
Although, it didn’t make the cut, one student wrote about naming the puppy Buttercup and even gave the Latin meaning. Several others gave multiple meanings to their names of choice as well.
Nipper said she never told the students the purpose of having the dog at school, but they figured it out on their own.
After going through a stack of essays, the judges settled on naming the pooch Haven Angel.
Recently, Haven Angel wasn’t feeling well, Nipper said, and had to see a veterinarian. Hearing this, many students made cards for the puppy and brought her toys.
There has yet to be any complaints about having Haven Angel, Nipper said. In fact, on Valentine’s Day, she received a call from a parent asking if treats could be brought in for the pooch.
When introducing the dog to students, Nipper brought her to every single classroom and told them that everyone has to work hard in order to keep her.
“We have to show growth, and we have to work hard to be able to show that this is working and be able to justify having a puppy in our school,” she said. “And so far it’s working.”
Haven Angel has brought more than just happiness to the students, Nipper said. She has taught the students citizenship as well by picking up trash so she doesn’t get into it.
“She’s a puppy. She’s had a couple of accidents. So, like, if they see it they’ll clean it up,” Nipper said of the students learning citizenship and responsibility from the pup. “I told them ‘finders keepers.’ I was like, ‘It’s not my puppy, it’s our puppy.’
“Since Haven Angel is a puppy, she is teething and starting to nip and chew, so I’ve told them to tell her no and let her know that they don’t enjoy that game.
She said she hopes this will teach the students the power of words and actions and to use them wisely.
She continued by saying students have even came to her office asking to read to Haven Angel, and Haven Angel has assisted in science lessons.
In a third grade class, Haven Angel’s actions were observed in response to mirrors and light. In a second grade class, Haven Angel will be used in a “sequencing” lesson by teaching her something.
Faculty also plan to mimic a journal article titled “St. Jude Paws at Play,” which is written in a dog’s point of view, to help students’ writing abilities.
In the special needs class, Haven Angel is being used to help the students learn about character and kindness.
“Now everybody has a best friend,” Nipper said.