05/15/2026
Who remembers their first day at a new job?
We are excited to officially welcome Maple, our facility dog, to Summit Lakes Middle School! Maple is a Goldendoodle who will support students and staff throughout the school day, primarily based out of the library with librarian Ms. Dampier.
Maple will be spending time in our building these last few days of this school year so that she becomes familiar with the building, routines, staff, and students, and becomes more comfortable with our school community. We are excited for her to continue her work supporting students’ social, emotional, cognitive, and overall well-being next school year.
Facility dogs can help create a calm and welcoming environment for students and may support students in areas such as emotional regulation, stress reduction, social connection, and engagement with learning. As a school community, we will continue teaching students how to interact respectfully and appropriately with Maple to help ensure positive experiences for everyone.
Maple lives with Ms. Dampier and her family. Her younger human sibling will be a Falcon next year, and her older human sibling attends LSW. Maple loves treats when allowed (though never “people food”), playing fetch, and squeaky toys. One of her favorite hobbies is purposefully pushing her ball under furniture and staring at people until they retrieve it for her.
We understand that some students may have allergies, fears, or discomfort around dogs. If you would like your student to opt out of interactions with Maple, please get in touch with Dr. Hardin so we can work together to support your child’s needs.
We are thrilled to have Maple as part of the Falcon family and look forward to the positive impact she will have on our students and school community this year!
