Mia Herz–

If you recently noticed a mouse running through your classroom, there is no need to panic. Over 60% of colleges have introduced a mouse therapy program to their campus, enabling their students to de-stress while playing with these furry friends. Colleges have even gone so far as to allow mice to run through classrooms, providing primal support to students during crucial times of stress. As a college prep school, Rye Country Day School wants to prepare their students for “the real world” and has been testing stress levels, sending mice running through math and English classes at random times. With extensive data, RCDS has found that stress levels significantly decrease when mice are around, and the school has decided to make these animals permanent by introducing pet mice to each and every advisory.

After recording data and consulting with Mr. Dunn, Rye Country Day School has found that the solution to coping with students’ stress and emotions is mice. These furry friends, imported to advisories, will act as emotional support animals (ESAs) by providing comfort, companionship, and reassurance to students in any situation. According to UMass Medical School, any domesticated animal can be considered an emotional support pet, and with the low cost of rodents, they are “the way to go.”

A recent study done by The Times found that having an ESA is beneficial, and many celebrities, colleges, and families have adopted pets, starting an ESA trend. Celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Justin Bieber are introducing mice into their homes and even singers such as SZA and Taylor Swift are bringing ESA mice on their tours. In 2011, there were only 2,400 ESAs registered, but in 2019, there were over 20,000 ESAs registered. As this number has increased, there have been more studies showing that ESAs have been proven to support health and reduce stress. 

This trend is soaring, and RCDS is not the only institution advocating for the presence of more mice. Disney has decided to change its popular movie, 101 Dalmatians to 101 Mice, and even Warner Brothers has changed the iconic dog Snoopy to the now iconic mouse Snoopy. US pop culture has even gone as far as changing the classic saying “a dog is a man’s best friend,” to “a mouse is a man’s best friend” as people are dining with mice, taking them on walks, and bringing them to school. 

Hopefully, this is a fad that will last because RCDS’s mice shipment will be arriving next week, and mice deliveries will be coming to your advisory soon.