Mallory Munro
On Wednesday, December 18, the St. Mark's Wellness program sponsored the 4th annual Puppy Pet. Dogs belonging to faculty, staff, families, and other members of the St. Mark's community gathered on the Athletic Quad, where they were greeted by students taking a break during Assessment Week.
The purpose of the Puppy Pet event, along with the Exam Bake and other events, is to help alleviate and relieve student stress during the weeklong assessment period. "Our students truly love it," said St. Mark's Director of Wellness Carl Corazzini about the Puppy Pet experience. "It has been a great success in past years. And this year we're joined by a Massachusetts State Police comfort dog." Luna, now a year-old black labrador, joined the Massachusetts State Police this past April as that organization's first-ever comfort and therapy dog. She works with first responders to help with post-traumatic stress and healing. On Wednesday, she was at St. Mark's as part of the Puppy Pet event.The mission of the St. Mark's Wellness program is to help "create a community where all members have the essential tools to be their best selves, so that they can be physically, emotionally and socially prepared to make healthy lifestyle choices." The intent is for the School "to have a Wellness Program that educates and empowers everyone at St. Mark's to be self-advocates as they journey towards leading lives of leadership and service."
