Cedar Springs — There’s a new leader at Cedar Springs Middle School — not a superintendent, principal, star athlete or class president, but a golden retriever named River, who’s showing students how to treat one another with kindness and compassion.
River, the district’s first-ever therapy dog, is the driving force behind the budding River Way initiative, which asks students to pledge that they’ll treat others with the same unconditional acceptance that River brings to the school.
“The pledge is just to live in the same way that River lives: that you treat others with kindness (and) consideration,” said River’s owner, school social worker Meghan Boyd. “No matter who they are, what they look like, what they believe, … you treat people with kindness and respect, no matter what.”
It’s all pretty simple: Students make the commitment to kindness, and in return they receive a River sticker to place on a notebook or personal item. Students who visibly demonstrate kindness are rewarded, receiving incentives like time with River or tickets to purchase Cedar Springs merch online.
In theory, students who fail to practice the River Way open themselves up to a discussion about accountability from a peer or teacher, but Boyd says that hasn’t happened yet.
‘The River Way is one of the only things you don’t have to practice. … You can do it by being nice to others, or giving somebody a hug when they need it.’
—sixth-grader Tre Jones
‘An emotional expert’
Boyd estimates that between 50 and 100 students have taken the pledge since the River Way started its rollout around Christmas. She’d like to see that number continue to grow as the movement gains traction at the middle school and beyond.
“We want to spread this out and see how far we can go with this,” she said.
Some of the students who’ve signed up — sixth-graders Tre Jones, Craig Harris, Kaya DeYoung and Elly Koehn — talked to SNN about what the River Way means to them, and how they practice it.
“The River Way is one of the only things you don’t have to practice,” Tre said. “You can just use your feelings. … You can do it by being nice to others, or giving somebody a hug when they need it.
“River’s not the only one who can help hundreds — if not thousands — of kids out there.”
Elly said River’s presence has been extra valuable for her, especially as she navigated the transition from elementary to middle school.
“When school started I was nervous, because it’s a big change from fifth grade to sixth grade,” she said. “It’s very different. But once River started showing up I wanted to continue my day because he was there, and I wanted to see him every class. So he’s motivating for me.”
Kaya and Craig said River has helped them realize the degree to which a positive attitude can impact others.
“River makes a lot of people smile, and that encourages other people, and me, to make other people smile by helping in any way that I can,” Kaya said.
“He’s an emotional expert, and that’s something I never thought I’d say about a dog,” Tre said of River. “He’ll look out for everyone and anyone. … It sets a good model for the kids in the school.”
What’s in Store
Boyd said her goal is to keep building on the initiative, adding new incentives to generate more interest among middle school students in the coming months. Boyd would also love to bring the program to Beach Elementary, which she also serves.
She said she’d also like Cedar Springs’ to continue to grow its therapy dog program.
“I would love to see at least one dog in each building within the next three to five years,” she said. She noted that more teachers are in the process of getting their puppies trained and certified, and that the goal is within reach.
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