River Rouge School District Creates School-Based Animal-Assisted Intervention Program

The River Rouge School District continues to introduce innovative and more effective

ways to support the mental health and overall well-being of our students. We have

spent the past several years working on the development of animal-assisted

interventions and that work led us to the development of therapy dog teams to help

our students cope with increased stress levels, anxiety, depression, and other issues

that have only been heightened because of the COVID crisis.

Mrs. Shakesha Alexander, VSW (Veterinary Social Worker) and MSSW has

graciously accepted the charge to lead this groundbreaking approach to improved

student mental health. Mrs. Alexander brings a wealth of experience and compassion

to this role. More importantly, she will serve as a true champion and advocate for

systems that support improved health and wellness of our students and staff.

During the course of the interview process, Mrs. Alexander profoundly informed the search committee, "The

research on therapy dogs is compelling because they are trained to use their social instincts and learned social skill

to benefit students. Loving and lovable, dogs are friendly companions and good listeners who make no

judgements."

Once she was identified for the position, she was overwhelmed with emotion and stated, "The fact that I am able

to now call a place home that shares my commitment to helping children cope and heal is something that I never

thought possible because how many people actually get to say they are working their dream job? This is truly an

unbelievable opportunity and I cannot wait to get started."

The River Rouge School District is excited to have Mrs. Shakesha Alexander join our family. This is revolutionary

work that we are doing and it requires our pursuit of uniquely talented individuals to support the development of

academically competitive students. As previously mentioned, Mrs. Alexander will coordinate therapy dog teams

throughout the school district; however, her impact will reach well beyond the school district because she will

serve as a living testament for the benefits of this extraordinary work while liaising between therapy dog teams,

administration, and community partners.