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Two golden Labs named Norene and Polenta are part of the staff at Evergreen High School, southwest of Denver. They welcome students each morning, walk the halls, and visit classrooms, according to the Associated Press.
They were brought in to help students relieve stress and stay focused after last year’s shooting. In September 2025, a 16-year-old student opened fire with a revolver during lunch hour, wounding two students before shooting himself.
Norene is a calm, young dog who loves attention. Polenta is her spunky, rambunctious colleague.
They started at the school in March and August, respectively. They are the first dogs matched with a school following a shooting on campus.
The dogs come from Canine Companions, a California-based nonprofit that provides trauma support dogs free of charge. Volunteers from the organization had brought dogs to the school in the days after the shooting.
Principal Skyler Artes decided support dogs should be a permanent presence. She had sheltered in the main office with students and staff that day and stayed until the last person left.
Canine Companions starts training its dogs as puppies. They learn dozens of tasks, from sitting and staying to responding to a student or teacher going through a hard moment.
Students make a point to see the dogs every day. The dogs were even crowned prince and princess at homecoming.
Artes said she plans to get more support dogs once Norene and Polenta leave their posts.
My thoughts:
What makes this story work is that the dogs aren’t an event. They are on staff, in the halls and the counselor’s office every day, a year after the shooting.
That matters because healing from something like this doesn’t end when the news coverage does. A steady presence that doesn’t care what’s going on and is happy to see you is simple, and students are clearly choosing it.
The principal’s decision is worth noting too. After the shooting, she saw what the visiting dogs did and made it permanent rather than treating it as a one-time response.
Source: Associated Press, via WRAL and the Boston Globe
