‘They’re Worth Two Guidance Counselors’: Meet the Animals Healing High School Stress
At this New York high school, dogs, peacocks and parrots offer students comfort, connection and joy
Key Takeaways
- Four resident dogs and a campus zoo help students at Kellenberg High manage stress and anxiety.
- School principal says visiting therapy dogs is "worth two trips to the guidance counselor."
- Birds, turtles, and koi fish offer students quick breaks to boost mood, focus, and joy.
When Kellenberg Memorial High School opened in 1987, the school’s leaders brought their beloved dogs along. Decades later, the campus has welcomed even more animals, helping students relax, relieve stress and feel right at home. Here, she shares her story with Woman’s World.
The corridors of Kellenberg Memorial High School bustled with nervous students at the start of another academic year — until Magnus, a snow-white Samoyed, one of four dogs who live on campus, trotted up, welcoming cuddles from the teens. Their anxiety melted into grins.
For Tara O’Donoghue, the school’s Director of Communications, that heartwarming moment never grows old.
This is exactly how the animals do it, she thought. Their constant presence alone provides such relief.
She smiled with pride as she watched how the pups eased first-day jitters, aided with grief, brought smiles to countless faces and helped students find purpose beyond the classroom.
But dogs aren’t the only unusual residents at this school.
Over the years, Kellenberg has added two peacocks, five peahens, nine parrots, turtles and koi fish in the courtyard pond. The unique menagerie was one of the main reasons why Tara, a 2006 Kellenberg graduate, selected the private Catholic high school in Uniondale, New York, and chose to be part of the faculty.
A calm presence on campus
Dogs first arrived as personal companions of the Marianist brothers and priests who founded and lived at the school when it opened in 1987.
Now, the campus has four boarding dogs — a Samoyed, a mini Bernese mountain dog, a Yorkie and a goldendoodle — as well as day dogs that teachers bring to work with them to spread cheer and relieve stress.
It’s not unusual to see tense students emerge from a difficult exam and head straight to the dogs, where they laugh, decompress and soothe their emotions.
The peacocks came along about 30 years ago when school leaders bought a male and female to match the school’s “Firebirds” team name.
Today, the school has two male peacocks, which live along with the peahens, turtles and koi fish in the scenic courtyards and “campus zoo” that the students can visit anytime they need a break or a dose of dopamine to spark joy and motivation.
Eventually, nine parrots were donated by community members who could no longer care for them and now reside in beautiful enclosures throughout the school lobby.
Animals to the rescue
The unique atmosphere at the high school helps students and faculty alike find solace and comfort each day.
Petting a dog during class while hearing the squawk of a peacock outdoors has been a true boost to mental health.
Principal Brother Kenneth Hoagland has become synonymous with his beloved Samoyeds and has been a staunch proponent of the long-standing benefits the animals provide at Kellenberg Memorial.
“I call them guard dogs,” he says. “They guard against fear, anxiety and depression. One trip to see the dogs is worth two trips to the guidance counselor.”
Tara couldn’t agree more. “Creating an environment where students feel known, supported and connected can be just as important as what happens inside the classroom to help them learn and grow,” she shares. “At the end of the day, our students need to know they are valued, cared for and part of a community, and sometimes a wagging tail or a curious little face can help remind them of that. We want them to leave here knowing that this is a true family — animals and all!”
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