Therapy Dogs Support Student Mental Health During AP Test Weeks

To help relieve stress at testing time, Wantagh High School students had two chances to interact with therapy dogs on May 9 and 16. Morgan’s Message and the Minds Matter Club, advised by Valerie Gompers and Iris Kline, hosted visits with therapy dogs from Canine Companions during the two weeks of Advanced Placement testing.

Students came for five-minute sessions to interact with certified therapy dogs and puppies in training, along with their handlers. As 20 students were allowed in the room at a time, it helped prepare the therapy dogs in training for situations with larger groups of people. 

The therapy dog sessions were part of project spearheaded by seniors Gabriella Pangretic and Sophia Petrocelli. They are student members of Northwell Health’s Cohen Strong Committee, which focuses on mental health awareness in schools. Gabriella and Sophia had to implement a mental health program or event. 

As students left their session, they filled out a survey to measure their stress levels before and after their interaction with the therapy dogs. Gabriella and Sophia collected data to see if the program made a positive impact, and will make a presentation at their next Cohen Strong Committee meeting on June 1.