You’re sitting in a quiet class and suddenly you hear a jangling noise scurry by your classroom. It must be Wednesday and Walter is in the building.
Walter is science teacher Connie Bang’s dog, and he is the school’s therapy dog who provides comfort to everyone. This friendly pup makes his appearance on Wednesdays, and is pretty famous amongst students and teachers.
“I like Walter a lot,” said math teacher Laura Dischler. “I think he makes kids happy and makes it kind of fun.”
Many teachers have treats for Walter in their classroom to feed him whenever he stops by to say hi, and after he gets his treat, he usually does a trick. There’s no hiding those treats because he will sniff for them. However some people take it a bit too far and give him other stuff that aren’t really meant for dogs. These non-dog snacks eventually lead Walter to not do such good boy stuff on the floors.
“The teachers have all talked to me about giving him treats and the ones that are ok for his stomach,” said Bang. “I am not a huge fan of students giving him food since he is getting human food that he is not used to. He also looks like he gains weight every Wednesday.”
Walter likes to make everyone know that he is in the building by stopping in classrooms and going around students for pets. In fact, many students like to stop in their tracks and take a minute to pet him and give him all their attention.
“I think it’s funny how he will run to different classrooms,” said senior Reese Nyffeler.
Most students enjoy Walter’s random appearance in their classrooms. It brings them joy and makes the classroom a less stressful environment when he is in there. Sometimes as you’re walking into the building on Wednesday mornings Walter and Bang are both there ready to greet everyone who walks in.
“My favorite thing about having Walter at EHS is seeing all the smiles on the faces of staff and students,” said Bang.
Bang is planning to bring Walter back to the school next year despite her retirement. She is not only planning to bring the friendly face to EHS but to other Elkhorn schools knowing the huge impacts he makes on both students and staff.
“I hope to bring Walter to EHS next year but it depends on if the administration, counselors and teacher want to have him visit,” said Bang. “Obviously, Walter and I are Antlers and we will be here when we are wanted.”
So, if you’re ever unsure of the day of the week, just wait for that jingle sound down the hall. Or you can just check the calendar too.
