Heritage Trail Students Read To Aspen The Dog

Photo: Troy Heritage Trail Elementary School students Brendan Maher and Jorge Fonseca-Negrete read a book to Naperville Area Humane Society reading therapy dog Aspen in a new program at the school.

______________________

STRIVE students attending Troy Heritage Trail Elementary School have been getting some assistance advancing their reading skills this fall from an adorable golden retriever, Aspen.

The reading therapy dog comes to the school every other week with his certified handler from the Paws for Tales program at the Naperville Area Humane Society. The students spend time reading to Aspen, which Troy Heritage Trail Reading Specialist Mary O’Hara said helps get the students enthusiastic about reading.

STRIVE, Student-Targeted Reading Instruction that Values Early Intervention, is a grade K-4 Troy program that provides additional support for readers.

“It’s great for the students to be able to read to the dog,” O’Hara said. “It motivates them to want to read and provides them the opportunity to read to someone without feeling pressure or anxiety. Interactions with animals also benefit students socially and emotionally.”

Some students are shy or embarrassed to read out loud, she said, but reading to a cuddly dog can do a lot to help them overcome those challenges. The program is one of many that the school implements to promote literacy.

Troy Heritage Trail Elementary School is a Troy Community School District 30-C school.