DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Students at Waverly High School are preparing to welcome the school's first-ever facility dog this fall.
- Moremi, a facility dog in training, will become a full-time fixture next school year.
- Student government and the Waverly Education Foundation teamed up to fund the project.
- Teachers say the dog is already helping students regulate their emotions in class.
Moremi, affectionately called Remi by students, is currently training to become a full-time, permanent fixture at the school next year. She occasionally walks the hallways and visits classrooms as part of her preparation.
Meet Moremi: Waverly High School prepares to welcome first facility dog
The initiative was sparked by the student government after attending a leadership summit at Mason High School, where they saw facility dogs in action.
"We went to a leadership summit at Mason High School and we saw these facility dogs," Myracle Mwangu said.
Kalina Fast and Mwangu are among the students hoping this is the start of a growing effort to place facility dogs in Waverly school buildings.
"I love dogs, and having one in the facility that can help everyone out when they’re going through tough times," Fast said.
"I think it’s just really nice to be a part of something like this and have started this up for the first time ever. It's going to be really good to see this dog next year," Fast said.
The project came to life through student government advocacy and joint fundraising with the Waverly Education Foundation.
"We have been doing MSU concessions for student government for 10 years now," Mwangu said.
"I know you’ve heard the cliche: teamwork makes the dreamwork, and the team stands together, everyone achieves more, and this is a great opportunity for that to happen," Calvin Jones, Chair, Waverly Education Foundation said.
Caitlyn Walton, a special education teacher and Moremi’s handler, had previously applied for a facility dog after seeing the positive impact student-specific service dogs can have.
"I have just seen students regulate themselves better," Walton said.
Walton noted that students' efforts to build relationships and trust with the dog have had a positive effect on classroom etiquette and student performance.
"We’re really hoping to expand to the other buildings because she has already made such a difference here and so many kids in the other buildings would benefit as well," Walton said.
Moremi continues her training through Canines for Change and is expected to be fully certified as a facility dog for the next school year.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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