In Falmouth, Virginia, Stafford High School’s yearbook became a viral sensation. Andrew “AJ” Schalk, one of the high school’s juniors, suffers from Type 1 diabetes. He’s accompanied by his service dog, Alpha Schalk, wherever he goes and that includes school. Alpha’s job is to detect when AJ’s blood sugar is getting too low or too high and to instantly alert him.
He was able to save AJ’s life multiple times already. According to AJ, Alpha brought a lot of smiles in his school, making the learning environment more alive and fun. Alpha fits so well in the school that he even has his own ID.
One day AJ came up with the idea to include his dog in the school’s yearbook, and when he asked teachers what they thought about it, they were all enthusiastic about the idea.
Diana Bloom, one of the seniors at Stafford High School, was browsing through her yearbook when she discovered that AJ’s service dog was included in the roster of students. She tweeted about it, and needless to say, the story went instantly viral.