News & Events

Northern Academy High School - Teacher death

Description: HOPE Team was requested by the Social Worker at this small High School for Special Ed/At Risk teens due to the death of one of their teachers. This is a very small HS on the back side of a regular High School, with approx. 45-50 students. School is on locked campus. There are only 5 Teachers for this HS, and one of the male Teachers had committed Suicide over this past weekend. A Grief Support Room was set up and there were 5 other Social Workers from the school district there, along with Maxx and I to help support and comfort these students. They came in just a few at a time. Some spoke with Social Workers, or wrote letters to the Teacher's family. Some walked in and were sobbing and did not want to talk to anyone. After some time, and tears shed, many found their way over to Maxx and started petted him. They began to visibly relax and several kept coming back to sit and even lay down beside him. One student who had never had a dog, kept asking questions about what Maxx was doing, etc. and Maxx at one point put his paw up on the boys' leg as he was sitting by Maxx....and leaned his head against the boy for quite some time. It was a moment that several of the Social Worker's observed also.... just Maxx doing what he does best. We were thanked so much for coming out and making a difference in helping out some hurting students and staff.