This year the counseling center has been a flurry of activity. It is so wonderful to have students back in the building. The long quarantine has caused a lot of anxiety and social distress for our students. Luckily here at Westwood, we have a great resource in Chase the therapy dog. Chase and his owner Ann have been such a great support to students and staff here at Westwood. All through the pandemic, Chase and Ann have come to visit our school. When there were no students in the building, Chase and Ann came to visit once a week and stood outside the building at the end of the school day. They greeted staff as they were leaving to provide a bit of pet therapy and relieve some of the stress brought on by the everchanging landscape of the school year. This year with students back in the building, Ann and Chase come once a week during our intervention time to help kids learn. Sometimes they visit classes and help students relax a bit. Kids enjoy reading to Chase, which in the past has proven beneficial to reading scores. There are also times when Chase provides support to students who are struggling emotionally. Westwood is grateful to Ann and Chase for faithfully attending and helping students and staff.