Comfort Dogs bring peace to Indiana school mourning beloved teacher

Salem, IN, teacher and coach John Heavin was a man whose mere presence uplifted people around him. He shared wisdom. He encouraged others. He quietly made a difference with his kind, steady manner that let his students and school community know that he cared deeply for them.

Last week, Heavin passed away suddenly from an illness, shocking the small town in southern Indiana.

“Our hearts are heavy as we grieve this loss, and we are lifting his family up in prayer and surrounding them with love during this incredibly difficult time,” supporters wrote on a Facebook page tribute. “John’s legacy lives on in the countless lives he touched and the example he set of what it means to be a truly good human.”

The school of 400 students asked LCC to bring K-9 Comfort Dogs to the campus on Thursday to offer compassionate care to the senior class and others. Responding right away were Comfort Dogs Eternity (Cornerstone Carmel, IN), Jared (Holy Cross Fort Wayne, IN), and Magdalene (Cornerstone Carmel, IN), who traveled to be there and encourage hurting students, teachers, and administrators.

John Heavin taught government and economics at Salem High School and was a coach of the school’s athletics teams. Before that, he taught at the community’s middle school. 

He was known as a teacher and coach who impacted students through his words, actions, and the way he lived.

LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Eternity (Cornerstone - Carmel, IN), Jared (Holy Cross - Fort Wayne, IN), and Magdalene spent nearly the entire school day on campus greeting students who were upset and struggling, plus teachers who were mourning their lost colleague.

Some standout moments:

• As Eternity Comfort Dog and team made their way around greeting students early in the day, Eternity moved toward a girl who had come in visibly upset and had hugged the counselor. Without hesitation, Eternity went right up to her and quietly snuggled in as the girl sat there crying. They sat together and snuggled for quite a while before the student left for her next class.

The next period, she came back and sat down with Eternity again, sharing that Eternity had made a “real impression” on her because she knew she was upset and knew exactly what she needed. Throughout the day, she came back every period to find us. Each time, she talked a little more and smiled a little more.
 
As our visit was ending, the girl told us that school would still be difficult, but seeing the dogs today made it so much better. It was a beautiful reminder that sometimes the most powerful ministry moments happen quietly.

• The school’s teachers had planned a lunch together. With Mr. Heavin’s death, they changed it to include all his favorite foods — a wonderful way to honor him and walk through grief together. Jared Comfort Dog and team had a long conversation with one teacher who was not only a coworker but a longtime friend of Mr. Heavin. The students loved him so much, he shared. Even the students that might not be expected to grieve him were visiting with the dogs and expressing their feelings with one another. The teacher also observed that the dogs helped to dissolve cliques among the students as they all seem to treat one another with kindness and openness. He said the dogs were a significant blessing for the staff and students.
  
  
• Magdalene Comfort Dog and team met a student who had Mr. Heavin in 8th grade and had gotten the nickname Spider-Man because of the way he sat in his chair. The student had very good memories of Mr. Heavin’s class and loved him. He stayed with Magdalene for quite some time. 
  
  So many students came back numerous times. It was a difficult day for sure, but the teachers and counselors said the dogs did way more than they could. One counselor watched for the kids who left and went off by themselves to follow-up with them.

 

• Eternity Comfort Dog and team sat with a student who came back multiple times during the day. Just before school let out, he wanted to share with us about his relationship with Mr. Heavin, who had taught him in middle school, plus 11th and 12th grade. He was, by far, his favorite teacher. His sudden death was difficult to understand, and he said he wasn’t sure when life would feel “normal” again.
  
  As the conversation continued, he told us that in January the seniors had voted on superlatives for the teachers. Just a week prior, Mr. Heavin was voted as the “school dad,” which speaks of the pillar of a man he was to the community.

 
The Comfort Dogs also will be available to the Heavin family. John’s wife teaches at the elementary school, and they have two daughters in college.

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