Brief
Therapy dogs help Evergreen High students heal after 2025 shooting
Golden‑lab dogs Norene and Polenta, provided by Canine Companions, offer daily comfort to students still coping with a 2025 campus shooting.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Evergreen High School, located southwest of Denver, has placed two golden‑lab therapy dogs, Norene and Polenta, in its halls to help students recover from a September 2025 shooting that left two wounded students and the gunman dead.
What happened
The shooting occurred during lunch hour in September 2025 when a 16‑year‑old student opened fire with a revolver, wounding two peers before turning the gun on himself. Principal Skyler Artes sheltered students and staff in the main office until everyone had evacuated.
In March 2026, the school welcomed Norene, a calm young dog, followed by Polenta in August 2026. Both dogs are part of a program run by Canine Companions, a California‑based nonprofit that supplies trauma‑support dogs free of charge.
What the report adds
The Independent notes that Evergreen High is the first school to be matched with therapy dogs directly after a shooting, and that the dogs also visited a family reunification site after the incident. Volunteers from Canine Companions continued bringing dogs to the campus in the days following the tragedy, prompting Artes to make the presence permanent.
What was said
"Every morning after I get off the bus, I have to say hi to these two. It’s my first thing I do every day," junior Fisher Helbraun told the outlet.
Principal Artes said, "Everybody was devastated, a lot of sorrow, a lot of grief, a lot of uncertainty about how to proceed."
How it came about
After seeing the positive impact of the dogs at the reunification site, Artes trained to become a support‑dog handler with Canine Companions. The nonprofit’s dogs were later crowned "prince and princess" at the school's homecoming, cementing their role on campus.
Key facts
- Evergreen High School introduced therapy dogs Norene and Polenta in March and August 2026. (independent.co.uk)
- The dogs are provided by Canine Companions, a nonprofit based in California. (independent.co.uk)
- A September 2025 shooting at the school wounded two students and the shooter died by suicide. (independent.co.uk)
- Principal Skyler Artes decided the dogs would become a permanent presence after seeing their impact. (independent.co.uk)
- Student Fisher Helbraun said greeting the dogs is the first thing he does each morning. (independent.co.uk)
Timeline
- 2025-09-XX — School shooting at Evergreen High, two students wounded, shooter died.
- 2026-03-XX — Therapy dog Norene begins work at Evergreen High.
- 2026-08-XX — Therapy dog Polenta joins Evergreen High.
Sources
- [1] independent.co.uk — originally reported as “Therapy dogs bring calm and joy to students following shooting at Colorado high school”
