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Evergreen High Adds Two Support Dogs After 2025 Shooting

By Drooid · Oct 10, 2026, 3:38 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Evergreen High School placed two support dogs after a 2025 shooting.
Principal Skyler Artes and counselor Amy Wells handle Norene and Polenta, golden Labradors.
Students say the dogs lower test anxiety.
The school achieved a 100% graduation rate.
California nonprofit Canine Companions supplied the dogs free, marking the first school pairing after a shooting.

History

Historical Context

The Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999, shocked the nation and prompted nationwide school safety reforms and mental-health initiatives. President Bill Clinton’s administration allocated $20 million to the U.S. Department of Education for counseling programs, reaching over 1 million students by 2005. Today, Evergreen High School’s partnership with Canine Companions for Independence mirrors that legacy, using two golden Labradors to aid trauma survivors after the 2025 shooting. The precedent suggests that integrating service animals can lower anxiety, potentially sustaining the 100% graduation rate and shaping future nationwide school-recovery protocols.

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Story summary

Evergreen High School placed two support dogs after a 2025 shooting.
Principal Skyler Artes and counselor Amy Wells handle Norene and Polenta, golden Labradors.
Students say the dogs lower test anxiety.
The school achieved a 100% graduation rate.
California nonprofit Canine Companions supplied the dogs free, marking the first school pairing after a shooting.

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