Gold Award Spotlight: Dogs for a Cause
Sarah, a dedicated Girl Scout Ambassador from Troop 919 earned the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouts! Her inspiring project was all about caring for her fellow students’ mental health by introducing a therapy dog program on campus. Recognizing the unique stresses teens face today—from academic pressures to social media stress—Sarah dedicated over 90 hours to create a space where students could learn effective stress management techniques alongside furry friends.
Sarah said, “For my Gold Award, I aimed to battle academic stress in teens. Life is stressful no matter one’s age. However, being a teen in today’s society is difficult to manage from social media, to peer pressure, to academic expectations. High school stressors are high, and students need ways to cope with the multiple impacts stress has in their lives. Introducing therapy dogs to students has shown to reduce the stress hormone, cortisol, lower blood pressure, increase oxytocin, and regulate emotions.”
She also shared, “Bringing therapy dogs to Norfolk Academy helped Upper School students manage their stress and offered both physical and academic benefits. Norfolk Academy has agreed to sustain the therapy dog visits, chapel presentations, and advisory activities. A club was formed to sustain the therapy dog program at Norfolk Academy so students can enjoy the benefit of this type of stress reduction for years to come.”
With her leadership, the program not only helped lower stress levels but has also been embraced as a sustainable part of school life, ensuring that all students can benefit now and in the future.
Kudos to Sarah for her impactful work!
