With the everyday stresses of high school, how has the Lake Forest Academy student body coped with their constant studying and academic worries? The short answer is, puppies. Apart from all the other activities offered by LFA and the many different stress-relieving outlets that LFA students are provided, playing with puppies in school is the preferred way for most.

Over the past two months, during break from 1:00-1:30, puppies have been brought to the LFA Garden Room on two separate occasions as a stress reducer for all students. The students will line up by the hundreds, awaiting the arrival of the puppies with over-joyous grins. All-School President Romaer Chopra, can’t take all of the credit for the idea as its origins date back to different institutions, but he will take some, and the dogs time has been generously donated.

“So Student Council got the idea to bring in puppies as a stress reliever as something that originated at Lehigh University. While we had some hoops to jump through, we were determined to make it happen. The most recent set of puppies were not organized by us; we simply helped Ryan Williams bring her dogs to school,” said Chopra.

The reception from students has been as expected, with ear to ear smiles and a constant line outside of the Garden Room to get a chance to play with the cute pups. Nathan Johnson, senior and self-proclaimed dog-lover, sees the mid-day dog frenzy as a personal stress reliever and an overall great experience for the entire school.

“The puppies are a pleasant surprise at school that everyone enjoys and truly relieves stress that can build up throughout the day. Even though I have dogs at home, nothing is cuter than a room full of little 10-week old puppies. I’m looking forward to when the puppies are brought back,” said Johnson.

In case you were worried about whether or not the puppies in the Garden Room during break will happen again, don’t fear! There are already plans in the making for another great, stress-free day filled with puppies according to Chopra.

“We hope to be able to bring puppies back sometime before AP testing. It was a great community event and truly a testament to the way LFA allows its students to pursue just about any idea,” said Chopra.