At this time of year, there are some touching stories about high school proms, graduations and commencement services. One such story is about a Service dog getting his name and picture in a high school yearbook. How did that happen?
Dog in yearbook
Alpha belongs to Andrew "AJ" Schalk who is a 16-year-old junior at Stafford High School in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The service dog goes to school with his owner every day. AJ was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on July 9, 2009, but he did not get his black Labrador until January 2, 2014.
The high school junior was able to get his dog trained after his parents, co-workers of parents, friends and classmates pitched in to help him raise $25,000.
Alpha stays with AJ to warn him 20 to 40 minutes before his blood sugar changes to high or low.
Alpha was properly trained last year and when he started going to school with AJ, the students fell in love with him and wanted to include him in their 2017 yearbook. Nobody at the school objected. Now Alpha can be seen next to Andrew along with Andrew's last name as Alpha's last name.
they put his service dog in the yearbook i'm CRYING pic.twitter.com/yU47kpKnwA
— diana bloom (@nycstheplacetob) May 18, 2017
Students think it was a good idea to include Alpha because the dog has been such a big part of the Fredericksburg high school. The student body knew about Alpha long before he began attending school.
That's because so many people in the community had helped with the fundraiser to get Alpha trained. So, it is safe to say, the faculty and student body invested in Alpha.
The school principal was glad to approve the request for the dog to be included in the yearbook. In his statement to ABC News, Principal Joseph Lewis said it was just fun to do.
He added that Alpha is now part of the student body. Alpha is a big dog, but his head is barely in the picture box.
Alpha made headlines
Alpha's picture in the yearbook has made national headlines. It was reported not only on ABC, but on all the news outlets because it is newsworthy. Besides, it brings awareness to type 1 diabetics that is also called juvenile diabetes because it affects children.
Type 2 diabetes affects adults.
According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, about three million Americans have type 1 diabetes. About the same number of children and adults are diagnosed each year with the disease.
AJ wants the public to know that Alpha is a great companion who has saved his life before. It's because of his dog that AJ says even though he has a disability, it is a blessing to have Alpha in his life.