Quinn School introduces Enzo's Book Club
Enzo's Book Club. Photos by Kat Sheridan
Violet Meneses, age 10, pets Enzo as she reads. 
The students work on decorating boxes for donations. 
Michelle Gioiosa with Enzo. 
Kayla Costa, age 9, reads to Enzo. 
Enzo poses for a photo. 
Landon Guile, age 11, plays ball with Enzo. 
Layla Kruz, age 9 and Vivian Amaral, age 9 pet Enzo. 
Henry Niemic, age 10, Landon Guile, age 11 and Jacob Sousa, age 9 pose with Enzo. 
Enzo is thrilled as Vivian Amaral, age 9 and Layla Kruz, age 9 pet him. 
The students answer questions on their posters.
Enzo's Book Club. Photos by Kat Sheridan
Violet Meneses, age 10, pets Enzo as she reads.
The students work on decorating boxes for donations.
Michelle Gioiosa with Enzo.
Kayla Costa, age 9, reads to Enzo.
Enzo poses for a photo.
Landon Guile, age 11, plays ball with Enzo.
Layla Kruz, age 9 and Vivian Amaral, age 9 pet Enzo.
Henry Niemic, age 10, Landon Guile, age 11 and Jacob Sousa, age 9 pose with Enzo.
Enzo is thrilled as Vivian Amaral, age 9 and Layla Kruz, age 9 pet him.
The students answer questions on their posters.
Enzo is like any young one. He enjoys playing, but he also loves falling asleep while being read to. However, Enzo is not a student at the school but a therapy dog in the Enzo’s Book Club at Quinn School.
“[The kids are] actually reading the book, and it’s amazing to see how comforting [it is],” said Laura Jenkins, who co-runs the club. “They’ll say things like, ‘I was in a bad mood today and now I’m so happy.’”
Enzo’s Book Club was started through a grant from the Dartmouth Advocates for Addiction, Recovery and Treatment.
“It’s really fun and relaxing,” said nine-year-old Kayla Costa.
Many of the students described the club as fun, and agreed that Enzo was their favorite part.
This is not the only club that the school started: there's clubs to promote movement, music and more.
Michelle Gioiosa, Enzo’s handler and owner, said she always wanted to have a therapy dog at the schools and when she got Enzo as a puppy, started training him.
“He’s very attuned to people’s feelings, so he just gravitates toward anybody,” said Gioiosa. “He loves kids, and he likes to just sit with them and have them pet [him] and relax. It kind of just resets their thinking.”
During his free time, Enzo enjoys playing with his toys, especially his toy ball. Sometimes Gioiosa will bring his ball to the club so the students can play with him.
Eight students signed up to be a part of the club. They meet twice a week, once to read with Enzo and a second time to brainstorm other activities they can do.
“It’s very fun, and I like how he can sit on your leg when you read to him,” said Violet Meneses, 10.
The group is for grades three through five. According to Jenkins, the kids started off not knowing each other and became a friend group.
“Everything we were hoping Enzo would do, the book club itself is great,” said Jenkins, “It’s getting them reading, and Enzo adds so much to it.”
Currently the kids are reading “Rocco the Rock Star,” which follows a stray dog named Rocco. Because of this, the students used their days off from reading to brainstorm ways to help dogs like Rocco.
The students decided they wanted to do some good for others through their club, and set up a donation box to gather goods for a local shelter. The goal is to raise 100 items, such as food, toys, beds and treats.
Vivian Amaral, 9, said helping the animals in shelters makes her feel “awesome.”
During days without Enzo, the students work on their donation drive. They made posters where other students could write questions and decorated boxes to gather the goods.
The students put together a presentation to show Quinn School Principal Audra Thomas.
According to School Councilor Tracy Chamberlin, the students were very professional and prepared, and successfully explained why they should be allowed to put up donation boxes.
The students will also be placing a donation box in Town Hall, so members of the community can help support dogs like Rocco at local shelters.
“I think it’s important to help out shelters because there's a lot of animals that need stuff that other animals don't," said Layla Kruz, age 9.
