March 28, 2024

Newton counselors are assisted by comforting eyes and a wet nose

Dogged Determination

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As Berg Middle School students file into the grades 5-6 half of their building each morning, some are alert, and some are still sluggishly getting into the day. However, nearly all of them are happy to see one particular face.

The students call out “Sawyer!” to the therapy dog that greets them in the hallway as they come in for the day. Counselor Shelly Fitzgerald’s 18-month-old labradoodle cross-breed isn’t around every minute of every day, but when he’s at school, he’s the most popular thing on campus.

Fitzgerald, a Newton native and 20-year teacher with the Newton Community School District, had been taking Buena Vista University courses to get her master’s degree in counseling. She completed a research project on therapy dogs, decided she wanted to get a therapy dog of her own, and ended up taking Sawyer home when he was about 8 weeks old.

That happened just as Fitzgerald completed her counseling training, and she interviewed for one of the few guidance positions in the area advertised for the 2015-16 school year — at Grinnell-Newburg High School. She was hired there, and when reconfiguration and a teacher leadership grant created shuffling among Newton staffing, she and Sawyer were able to return to Newton on Berg’s grades 5-6 side.

“He’s an excellent icebreaker,” Fitzgerald said. “He really gets kids to open up and start talking. They don’t end up telling me anything they wouldn’t have said anyway, but it happens faster. They’re more relaxed with him.”

Sawyer isn’t the only therapy dog in the district. Counselor Cassia Nolin splits time between WEST Academy and Newton High School, and on many of her days at NHS, she brings along Griz, whom she’s had since the spring of 2013. Special-education students or ones with severe emotional difficulties are among those who come to the NHS guidance office and pet Griz to find the kind of comfort no human can really provide.

But while Griz maintains a relatively low profile, Sawyer is practically as recognizable as Big Red, the Cardinal mascot. He has his own Facebook page, has his name called by dozens of students anytime he’s in the halls, and is already known throughout Newton, despite Berg being the only school where he works.

Fitzgerald visited with all of her students to brief them on dos and don’ts before she ever brought Sawyer into a classroom.

“One of the many lessons here is to ask before going into someone’s space, and that includes asking to touch their dog,” Fitzgerald said. “The main things I told them had to do with respect and safety.”

Fitzgerald takes Sawyer with her to make presentations on various topics in classrooms. He’s been an instant hit with nearly everyone he’s met, and students regularly ask her if the canine will be coming with her to their classrooms again any time soon.

Students also come to Fitzgerald’s office to help get him water or simply to pet him. She dresses Sawyer up in colors or outfits that account for special school theme days, holidays or Cardinal pride.

She has a crate in her office where she can quickly house Sawyer if she needs to leave or attend to business that doesn’t involve him. He is often only on campus for half of a day.

Fitzgerald and her husband, Don, have a busy fall schedule that includes their children’s activities, but after that part of the school year winds down, Sawyer will take a major obedience certification test. She said he still has some trouble remaining seated at her side while counseling is taking place, but for the most part, Sawyer is very responsive to commands.

Fitzgerald said district and administrator support in both Grinnell and Newton has been critical and is appreciated. She thanked Berg Principal Lisa Sharp at length for various kinds of support in having Sawyer in the building.

Being relaxed and comfortable are important parts of an educational experience, she said.

“The kids are bummed if he’s not here,” Fitzgerald said. “He’s really the one who’s the counselor. It’s tough to be sad when he asks you to throw a ball or puts his head in your lap.”

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com