Mrs. Van Handel impacts Woodbridge Community with dogs
FURRY FRIENDS: Journalism students gather around to play with Bandit and Molly.
Dec 20, 2022
Mrs. Van Handel, a retired teacher and therapy dog owner, visited WMS last Friday. Journalism students interviewed Mrs. Van Handel about various topics and got some insight into what she does while also learning interview strategies.
Mrs. Van Handel was first a teacher in the Woodbridge District for 30 years. She first became associated with therapy dogs when she put Bandit in training classes. Bandit is the oldest of three dogs. Mrs. Van Handel decided to only put Bandit and Molly (her second dog) into therapy dog training because her youngest, Cooper, is “too hyper.”
Mrs. Van Handel started visiting WMS around 2 weeks before quarantine started (2019) as part of a “Mock Press Conference” that used to happen here. Mrs. Van Handel is a friend of Mrs. Rodak and was asked to visit the school for one of the Mock Conferences.
Mr. Malmstrom, a journalism teacher at WMS, said that bringing Mrs. Van Handel in has “helped us have some amazing experiences.”
Daniella Mojica, an 8th grader at WMS, said that having Mrs. Van Handel come in for an interview has helped journalism students “know what to expect in an interview.”
Thomas Oatman, another 8th grader at WMS, said that Mrs. Van Handel is “making a huge difference in the Woodbridge community.” He also said that “school is such a stressful environment and there are no stress-free areas. Having a therapy dog in school would be really awesome and would help students.”
Mrs. Van Handel’s work and dedication has saved so many people in so many ways. “She told us about the individual outside of the drug rehab that went in there just because of Bandit,” said Mr. Malmstrom. He continued to explain that what she does “literally saves lives.”
At the drug rehab facility, Mrs. Van Handel explained that it is difficult but rewarding. She said, “Every time I leave the Drug Rehab, I get in my car and cry because I know we [Molly and Bandit] gave them a bright spot.” She also explained how having a dog is fulfilling and pleasant, “Dogs don’t judge you like people judge you. They don’t care what you wear today, they do care about how you feel.”
