A student's best friend comes to class
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BY JoANNE YOUNG
Roswell Chapo is the only one in Room 107A at Lincoln North Star High School who can get away with sleeping through a fifth-period biology lecture.
Students who put their heads lazily on the table after lunch may miss an important instruction delivered by the teacher or a good discussion on the flow of energy through an ecosystem.
But Roswell doesn't have to worry. He's more or less expected to sleep once the class settles into its routine. In fact, he has two beds to choose from - one at the front of the class, one in the back.
But don't mistake the importance of Roswell's quiet presence there.
The Labrador-Newfoundland mixed-breed dog has a job in his owner's classroom.
"General Therapy" is the title he's given on the classroom window nameplate. But mostly he's a friendly face, a warm body of black fur, an energetic hallway ball chaser and a bright spot on a gloomy day. And sometimes he's a living example in a biology lesson.
"Some students love him and some ignore him," said Tracie Chapo, his science-teacher owner. "But if he makes one kid happy to walk in the door, he's done his job."
In a high school these days, that's no small task. But Ros has earned his keep many times over.
One day last week his unspoken assignment was sophomore Holly Marquart.
She transferred to North Star from Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in early February after moving to Lincoln to live with her aunt and uncle, Mary and Rick Jones. She and her parents thought the move might be good for her because life in Cedar Rapids was getting tense and distracting.
"I didn't get along with my parents," Holly said. "My parents thought I was picking the wrong friends. We always got in fights about that."
When the tensions came to a head this winter, her aunt and uncle invited her to come to Lincoln and try something different.
But a new school can be intimidating.
"I was nervous and scared at first. I didn't know anybody at all," Holly said.
When she walked into her fifth-period class, though, she had an instant friend.
"I love animals, so I was excited to have a dog in the classroom," she said.
Roswell came right over to the new student and has been a bright spot every day since.
Early last week, though, Ros was especially helpful.
Holly's dad, brother and sister had come to visit over the weekend and had departed Monday morning, leaving Holly upset to see them go. After an unsettling morning, she walked into Chapo's classroom just after noon and headed straight for Roswell.
Holly kneeled, looked into his brown eyes and whispered quietly to him. The rest of her day went better, she said.
"It's comforting to have a big dog," she said later. "Dogs don't talk back to you."
He also makes her feel safe.
It can be soothing to pet a dog, Chapo said. Roswell is gentle with both students and adults in the school. And twice a week she takes him down the hall to visit the special needs students, to play and offer stimulation through touch and sight and gentle romping.
As he walks through the halls with his master on errands, he helps Chapo get to know students who wouldn't otherwise have much to say to teachers.
"It's one more zone of comfort between staff and kids, and those are good things," Chapo said. "They talk about their experiences with dogs."
Roswell has been trained to obey and knows to pay attention to her in a crowd. He goes out for a bathroom break once in the middle of the day. And he gets lots of snacks throughout the school day for his good behavior.
He's been tested to ensure he meets all the behavior standards to work with students and adults.
"He's completely unaggressive. And he's not fearful," Chapo said.
He doesn't like fire alarms, though, because of the bright flashing lights. So the former zookeeper carries her 90-pound dog outside during drills.
It's been a great experience for her, the dog, students and staff, Chapo said.
"He's been very positive."
Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@;journalstar.com.
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