Four-legged friends help Ramsey students celebrate school year’s end in Monroeville

A visitor to Ramsey Elementary School prompted plenty of questions along the lines of:

“Is that a real unicorn?”

No, but the presence of Dolly, a miniature horse fitted with a conical golden headpiece, certainly helped make Ramsey’s Fun and Fitness Day, the final day of the academic year, a particularly special occasion.

Dolly and companion Stormy were brought to the school by Cari Ann Worley, co-founder of In Stable Hands Inc. She was joined by her mother, Jamie Lynn Liebel, who enjoys volunteering for the nonprofit, which specializes in equine-assisted learning and healing.

Speaking of four-legged friends, an organization that helps them is the beneficiary of money raised by the kindergartners through fourth-graders who attend Ramsey.

“We held a competition last month for each grade level,” Principal Joe Rosi said. “The class that brought in the most was able to select where they wanted to donate the cumulative amount of money that was raised.”

The students and their family members raided piggy banks, jars and other receptacles for spare change, and first grade came out on top when the coins were counted.

“So our first-grade kids decided to donate to Animal Friends,” Rosi said. “That’s something that’s near and dear to our kids and our staff. We’re all animal lovers.”

The students presented a ceremonial check for $500 to an Animal Friends representative and received assurance that a rabbit at the nonprofit’s Ohio Township headquarters would be named Ramsey.

Meanwhile, everyone at the school had the opportunity to meet Dolly and Stormy.

“What do you think they might eat?” Worley, who also teaches English as a second language in Gateway School District, asked.

The students knew the answer to be grass and, as a few quoted the old saying: “Hay is for horses.”

“I’m going to bring you out and let you pet them, but I asked what they ate because when you’re petting them, you have to be very careful,” Worley said. “What do you think your fingers might look like to them?”

She explained that they might bear a resemblance to carrots, especially if they’re spread apart on a small hand, in which case:

“They’re going to think, oh, a snack! You brought me a snack! So you want to make sure you keep your fingers together.”

As it turned out, Stormy and Dolly were quite content to stick with grass instead of human digits as groups of children — teachers, too — enjoyed spending time with the horses.

During the June 3 event, about 50 parents volunteered to help Fun and Fitness Day proceed smoothly. A representative from Allegheny County Emergency Services provided youngsters with pertinent information, and SpitfireZ Catering of Monroeville donated lunch for the teachers.

“It was really cool to see all that outpouring of parent and community support,” Rosi said.

For more information about Salem Township-based In Stable Hands Inc., visit instablehands.org.