Mount Tabor Elementary introduced Mia, a therapy dog whose training was paid for by the Colton Kiser Foundation, speakers said during a recent school presentation.

School presenters said Mia — raised by Tisha Barbie, a fourth-grade teacher at Mount Tabor, and trained through six weeks of obedience instruction followed by nine months of therapy-dog training — now regularly accompanies students in the library and during morning meetings to provide emotional support and reading practice. "I want to thank the Colton Kiser Foundation for allowing Mia to be part of our program," a Mount Tabor Elementary staff member said.

Presenters and a parent described Mia as calming and supportive. "Mia is just a great emotional support for the children here," the staff member said. "They are respectful of her. They often hear them saying that she makes them happy." A parent recounted a change in her child’s behavior after meeting Mia: "After the first time she pet Mia ... she actually ran into a dog in our neighborhood and was brave enough that instead of running away hiding, she decided to pet the other dog too." The parent said the encounter showed increased confidence that they and school staff attributed to Mia's presence.

School staff said students are allowed to read aloud to Mia in the library and that she provides a nonjudgmental, calming presence during classroom routines. "When she goes into morning meeting, they calm down. They're quiet. She just has a very calming effect on the student body, and on the teachers and staff," a staff member said. Staff also said Mia has supported the school's speech and language program and other classroom activities.

Program details provided at the presentation say Mia was raised by a teacher at the school and completed six weeks of obedience training plus nine months of therapy-dog training, with those costs covered by the Colton Kiser Foundation. Presenters described Mia as the school's third therapy dog and said they look forward to expanding the ways she supports students.

No formal action, funding vote, or policy change was recorded in the presentation; speakers described the item as a program update and thanked the foundation and the Barbie family for participation.