Dear Harbor Families, 

Twelve years ago, the students and teachers at Harbor met a canine companion who would become a friend to all, gracing our halls and classrooms for the next decade. If you are newer to Harbor, you may not have had the joy of meeting Calvin, our “OG” Harbor dog. Calvin was Andrea Zuraf’s dog, who first came to school when Andrea was teaching second grade and he was still just a puppy. Despite his youth, he had a calm, gentle nature that captured hearts and the Harbor community from the very beginning.

As Andrea moved into administrative roles, Calvin’s presence grew. He became a full-time member of our faculty - visiting classrooms, comforting children who were having a hard time, serving as a reading buddy, and motivating students to reach personal goals. I remember meeting Calvin in my very first days at Harbor in 2018. At the time, I had never seen a dog in school, and I was struck by how much his presence shaped our community. Calvin’s celebrity reached beyond Harbor in 2019, when Great Day Washington featured him in a segment about the benefits of dogs in schools.

Sadly, Calvin passed away a little over two years ago, on the very last day of school of the 2022-2023 school year. He had been ill, and came back to school that year after taking some time to recuperate from surgery, and although he had slowed down, was happily walking the halls again and joining mindfulness classes, where he was always ready to demonstrate a calm, mindful body for the kids. He made it through the end of the year, including attending the grade three moving on ceremony and posing for photos with the graduates and their “Calvin” stuffy. It was almost as if Calvin knew that he needed to hang on through the end of year festivities. His final gift was giving us the summer to grieve before we returned in the fall to a Harbor without his joyful presence.

The following winter, we began talking with our art teacher, Lori Hurwitz, about her golden retriever, Archer. With his sweet and gentle spirit, Archer joined Harbor at the end of the 2023–2024 school year. Last year, students and staff delighted in having him on campus twice a week - serving as a companion during art classes, reading with children, and offering quiet companionship to anyone in need.

And now, our Harbor family has grown again. If you’ve been in the car line recently, you may have met our two newest canine friends, both female. Sthira, my seven-year-old chocolate lab, and Lucy, Christina Dabulskis’ three-year-old golden retriever (who made her debut with bows tucked behind her ears!) share the same calm, kid-friendly dispositions we cherish in our school dogs.

Research - and our lived experience - shows that dogs bring powerful benefits to schools. They support emotional regulation, ease anxiety, provide motivation, and increase engagement. We’ve seen firsthand how the presence of our school pups can provide comfort when things are hard - and have witnessed children open up and come out of their shell more in their presence. Dogs also nurture empathy, as students learn to notice their pets’ needs and tune in to their feelings. This practice of caring and connection naturally extends to how children treat one another. It’s simple but powerful. 

As always, we are mindful of children’s comfort levels and take introductions slowly, steering clear if a child needs more time. Please let us know if your child feels nervous, so we can support them. Archer, Sthira, and Lucy will rotate their “work schedules” so that one dog is on campus at a time. And don’t worry - they’ll get a chance to meet one another soon, perhaps at an upcoming Harbor event!

I remain deeply grateful to Andrea for sharing Calvin with us for so many years - and I am equally grateful now to Lori and Christina for sharing Archer and Lucy, allowing our children to once again experience the joy of a school pup. We are so fortunate to have these furry friends as a part of our Harbor community!

Warmly,

Leah Musico

Head of School