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Resident proposes student visits with school comfort dog for local nursing-home residents
Summary
Toby Arcenia recommended pairing small groups of students and the district police comfort dog with Denmark nursing-home residents for social visits and short reading sessions, saying the program could be low-cost and twice weekly to provide continuity.
Toby Arcenia, a Rockport resident, used the public-comment period to propose a community-service program that would pair small groups of students with the district's comfort dog for structured visits to the nearby Denmark nursing home.
"I would think maybe 3 at a time for emotional support and backup, with the dog to spend perhaps 40 45 minutes socializing with the old people," Arcenia said, suggesting the home provide minimal refreshments and that visits be held twice weekly so there is continuity. He also proposed reading-aloud sessions with small student teams and recommended consulting the school librarian on reading choices.
The committee did not take formal action during public comment, but Superintendent Mark Branca and members later referenced community-connections work and existing National Honor Society visits when discussing ways to coordinate volunteers and student programs.
