The Windham Center School students have found great benefits from their weekly visits with Tortola, our therapy dog. Tortola visits with students individually, in small groups and walks through classrooms. A recent student by the University of Basel in Switzerland found that touching dogs can lead to high levels of activity in the prefrontal cortex and can help people regulate and process social and emotional interactions. Tortola works with students with anxiety to help them stay calm, visits classrooms to get students ready for tests, and even helps motivate students to come to school! There is no denying the joy Tortola has brought to our students here at WCS.
Here are some testimonials from our students:
- "I love Tortola and it's my highlight of the week."
- "Petting the dog and seeing it calmed me down."
- "Knowing I get to see the dog helps me come to school on Wednesdays."
- "I think Tortola will help WCS and make hard weeks easier."
- "She helps me reset and be ready to go back into class and learn!"