Principal Dr. Luther Riley, Dr. Smith, Pet Partners’ Warrene Self and therapy dog Lily with Empower Community School staff and students(above)
Empower Community School in Bessemer recently hosted its first pet therapy session, provided by Pet Partners volunteer Warrene Self and Lily, a trained Yorkshire terrier. The pair visited the campus at 751 Academy Drive to an excited staff and a thrilled student body.
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 600 people died by suicide in Alabama in 2024, and more than 30 of them were children.
“We need to make sure that children have options to better their mental health and have avenues so that that number can lower and kids can be successful and happy,” said Dr. Yuvraj Verma, a teacher at the school. “We feel from experience that pet therapy is a way for kids to be provided with a means that allows them a release from school and personal stresses, to engage with their counterparts with the inclusion of pets within the school day.”
Pet therapy is used to help students feel connected socially and emotionally, which research ties to doing well in school. The session proved valuable to everyone in the rooms and hallways of the Empower Community School family.
“Sometimes we find our students come with situations that don’t allow them to connect with their peers easily, so we look to other means and methods to ensure our students’ success,” said Dr. Luther Riley, the principal. “Sessions such as these help build a community for our students which provides social and emotional pieces necessary for students to feel seen and heard amongst one another. We meet our kids where they are and provide support systems for them by all means.”
“We visit kids to give them something special to do within their school days,” Self said. “We provide services from trained animals that know how to interact publicly that ensure a positive and safe visit anywhere needed.”
Dr. Meredith Davis, the school’s superintendent, said the session is part of its social and emotional platform. “In order to move students forward academically, we have to make sure they’re well fully, and this is what we’re doing here through our pet therapy sessions,” Davis said.
Students who deal with grief, post-traumatic stress, anger, and other emotional problems are being taught to manage them by identifying symptoms and emotions that will not lead to negative reactions. Learning to be proactive and to communicate well is a start toward making sure children do not leave the classroom with unaddressed anger and anxiety.
For more information on the program, visit PetPartners.org. We celebrate the meaningful missions of schools such as Bessemer’s Empower Community School, and let’s continue to share positivity that has a meaningful impact on our mental and emotional growth.
