Therapy dogs bring calm and joy to students following shooting at Colorado high school

EVERGREEN, Colo. (AP) — With wagging tails and kind eyes, the four-legged staff members at Evergreen High School welcome students each morning, walk the halls and visit classrooms to offer a loving, calming presence and moments of joy to a student body still processing a school shooting.

Norene and Polenta, two golden Labs, joined the high school southwest of Denver to help students relieve stress and stay focused as they heal from last year's trauma after a student shot and wounded two of his peers before shooting himself.

“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,” said Fisher Helbraun, a junior at Evergreen High School. “Every single time I see one, I always have a smile on my face. I always get either some puppy kisses or I get some nice pets.”

Norene, a calm, young dog who loves attention, and Polenta, her spunky and rambunctious colleague, started at the school in March and August, respectively. They are part of program run by Canine Companions, a nonprofit based in California that provides trauma support dogs free of charge. The dogs are the first to be matched with a school following a shooting on campus.

In September 2025, a 16-year-old student opened fire with a revolver at the school during lunch hour, wounding two students before shooting himself. The suspect later died. Evergreen High School Principal Skyler Artes sheltered in the main office with students and staff and remained at the school until the last person had left.

After the shooting “everybody was devastated, a lot of sorrow, a lot of grief, a lot of uncertainty about how to proceed,” Artes said

Some of the nonprofit’s dogs provided support at a family reunification site.

Artes decided to train with Canine Companions to be a support dog handler after seeing the positive impact the animals had on the students and staff.

Volunteers with Canine Companions continued to bring dogs to the school in the days following the shooting, and Artes decided support dogs should be a permanent presence at the school.

“The fact that they are calm, that they’re generally peaceful and attentive makes them good at providing that ongoing, consistent, stable source of support, affection and quiet when people need it most,” she said.

Even though the dogs are a relatively new presence at the school in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, they were crowned prince and princess at the homecoming football game last week and donned royal capes and crowns as they paraded through the football field.

“The second that I see them in the hallway, or I go out of my way to come see them, it just brightens my day, it makes it so much better,” said Maddie Cornwell, a senior. “That kind of innocent joy and love that they have to share, they just give it to humans so easily and it just makes you so happy to see them play and run around.”

Artes is Norene’s handler, and Polenta is assigned to lead counselor Amy Wells, who is also a volleyball coach and brings Polenta to practices. Wells also completed the handler training at Canine Companions.

The organization starts training support dogs from the time they are puppies when they start learning dozens of tasks, from following simple commands like sitting and staying, to more refined skills, including how to respond to students or teachers going through a difficult moment. They also learn how to be a stable presence in areas of the school that could trigger trauma, said Paige Mazzoni, chief executive of Canine Companions.

“What’s really powerful about dogs in this type of work is that they have a lot of heart, they have high intelligence, they respond very well to people and to forming a partnership, and it’s really the power of the human-canine bond,” she said.

Quinn McEvers, a senior, said she makes it a point to see the dogs or pet them each school day because it always puts her in a good mood.

Having “these dogs in the school is amazing because when we have tests, when there’s a stressful moment, when the weather’s bad, when, honestly, anything puts our mood kind of down, the dogs are there,” McEvers said.

“I would think people do a lot better in school when they’re actually in a good mood or when they’re excited about going to school,” she added.

Research shows that shootings at schools can lead to lower test scores and declines in students’ ability to concentrate and focus but Evergreen saw the opposite, Artes said.

“We saw our AP test scores go up,” she said. “We also had a 100% graduation rate in a year that was extraordinarily difficult.”

After a dog is assigned to a facility, they stay there for eight to 10 years, when the animal retires.

Artes said she plans to get more support dogs once Norene and Polenta leave their posts.

“Having a steady presence, an animal that doesn’t really care what’s going on and loves you anyway,” she said, “that unconditional love and support, that is valuable no matter what’s going on.”

Rodriguez reported from San Francisco.

A pair of support canines, Golden Lab and retriever crosses named Polenta, left, and Norene, rest in the counselor's office of Evergreen High School Monday, Oct. 5 2026, in Evergreen, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) CORRECTION: Norene, not Noreen

Quinn McEvers, a senior at Evergreen High School, visits with a pair of support dogs named Norene, left, and Polenta at the school Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in Evergreen, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) CORRECTION: Norene, not Noreen

Maddie Cornwell, a senior at Evergreen High School, visits with a pair of support dogs named Polenta, left, and Norene at the school Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in Evergreen, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) CORRECTION: Norene, not Noreen

A pair of support canines, Golden Lab and retriever crosses named Polenta, left, and Noreen, rest in the counselor's office of Evergreen High School Monday, Oct. 5 2026, in Evergreen, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Quinn McEvers, a senior at Evergreen High School, visits with a pair of support dogs named Noreen, left, and Polenta at the school Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in Evergreen, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Fisher Helbraun, a junior at Evergreen High School, visits with a pair of support dogs named Polenta, center, and Noreen at the school Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in Evergreen, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Amy Wells, left, counselor at Evergreen High School, walks with her support dog, Polenta, while talking with school principal Skyler Artes, who is leading her support dog, Noreen, through the halls of the school Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in Evergreen, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Maddie Cornwell, a senior at Evergreen High School, visits with a pair of support dogs named Polenta, left, and Noreen at the school Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in Evergreen, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

CLEVELAND (AP) — Gavin Williams had 12 of a record 21 strikeouts by Cleveland pitchers, José Ramírez hit a go-ahead home run on a pitch just above home plate and the Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 2-0 Saturday night to complete a comeback from an 0-2 deficit in their best-of-five AL Division Series.

Cleveland opens the AL Championship Series at Tampa Bay on Monday night, seeking its first World Series trip since 2016. The Guardians/Indians franchise hasn’t won the title since 1948, the longest drought among MLB teams.

Guardians pitchers set a record for strikeouts in a nine-inning postseason game and the most in any regular or postseason game since at least 1900. The White Sox got just three hits, put only nine balls in play and finished the series with 75 strikeouts and a .185 batting average.

“It was less about chase and more about being attacked in the zone and swing and miss in the zone,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Just didn’t have what it would have took to move some balls forward there.”

Cleveland became just the 11th team to win a best-of-five series among the 96 that fell behind 0-2, the first since the 2017 New York Yankees against the Indians and only the fourth to achieve the feat after losing the first two games at home.

Two days after saving Game 4, Williams became just the third pitcher in postseason history to get the last out of a game and start the following game when his team faced elimination in both.

He didn’t allow a hit until Kyle Teel looped a knuckle-curve into right field with two outs in the sixth, two innings after Ramírez homered for the second straight game, a two-run drive off Sean Burke.

After a walk loaded the bases, Erik Sabrowski relieved and struck out Munetaka Murakami on a foul tip, the pitcher letting out a yell.

Williams’ 12 strikeouts tied Cleveland’s record for a postseason game. He got 22 swings and misses, and his 24 strikeouts over three games were one shy of the mark for best-of-five postseason series.

“That was big-boy stuff today,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “We’ve seen other performances like that in the postseason, but to do it in this stage and these types of games facing three straight elimination and you have one of your starters say I will pitch whenever you need me to, super impressive.”

Hunter Gaddis followed Sabrowski and got four outs, and Cade Smith finished for his first career five-out save, striking out the side in the ninth. He blew a fastball by Tristan Peters for the final out, setting off a celebration at Progressive Field.

Chicago, the first team to reach the playoffs after three straight 100-loss seasons, has not won the World Series since 2005.

Ramírez homered on a knuckle-curve 0.74 feet above ground, the lowest pitch hit for a postseason home run since tracking started in 2008, according to MLB Statcast, and the lowest hit by Ramirez in his 14-year big league career.

Steven Kwan had singled leading off the fourth ahead of Ramírez's sixth postseason homer, which went just over the wall near the right-field line.

Murakami and Andrew Benintendi struck out four times each, and Teel and Chase Meidroth three times apiece.

Tampa Bay went 5-1 against the Guardians, including three shutouts. It will be the third postseason meeting of the teams following the Rays' win in the 2013 wild card game and the Guardians' sweep in the 2022 Wild Card Series.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Cleveland Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio celebrates with teammates in the locker room after Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams walks to the dugout after being taken out of the game in the sixth inning of Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez celebrates after hitting a home run in the fourth inning of Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Guardians catcher Patrick Bailey, left, celebrates with pitcher Cade Smith (36) after Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Guardians players celebrate after Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami walks back to the dugout after striking out in the sixth inning of Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Guardians' Petey Halpin is tagged out at third base by Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas (20) during the fifth inning of Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams walks to the dugout during the second inning of Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez celebrates after hitting a home run in the fourth inning of Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez celebrates after hitting a home run in the fourth inning of Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)