Therapy dogs bring comfort to Bessemer City Middle School students
By Zoe Blair, Ryan Lovell
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BESSEMER, Alabama (WVTM) — Bessemer City Middle School welcomed therapy dogs to campus on Friday, offering students a chance to interact with the animals as a way to alleviate stress and improve focus. Teachers at the school believe the presence of the dogs is beneficial, especially for students dealing with significant trauma.
“Many of these students are dealing with trauma on par with war veterans,” said Brandon Baum, a teacher at Bessemer City Middle School.
Baum explained that the school is trying to use every possible strategy to support students who have witnessed distressing events in their communities.
“It’s the truth that we’re dealing with. There’s a lot of things going on in our communities. We wish we could have hid it from them, but they’ve witnessed some things that we would have liked to keep from them. And so we have to try to exhaust every option and every strategy possible,” Baum said.
The school has been grieving the loss of a seventh-grader who was a victim of gun violence earlier this year. Teachers say the therapy dogs have been a much-needed source of comfort for the students.
“There’s something nice and warm and, furry and fuzzy. Just something that they can express their love to and feel that reciprocated in a particular way,” Baum said.
Students expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to interact with the dogs.
“I just like dogs because it keeps me more focused in school,” said Jayden Heard, a student at Bessemer City Middle School.
Christian Aguilar, another student, shared, “It helps me be focused because it’s something I can look forward to (that’s) at the end of the month, and I really enjoy coming here to see Lizzie and Bodie.”
Zyreunna Lindsay added, “I love playing with dogs and I love playing with Bodie.”
Dr. Yuvraj Verma, the teacher behind the initiative, hopes to continue bringing therapy dogs to the school to help keep students calm and focused in class.
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