For as long as any Ojai Valley School teacher can remember there have always been animals on campus.
But this year it’s a menagerie!
A coop of chickens, ten dogs and two cats make up the animal residents on the OVS campus. Pets have long been part of the OVS community, and this year that is more true than ever.
“I think it’s awesome to have animals on campus; it’s kind of that half bridge to the wild,” Mr. Stewart said.“Even though they’re domesticated they still have a bit of wild in them. And that’s what this school is all about.”
Mr. Stewart, a boys dorm parent and the precalculus and Geometry teacher at OVS, has a four and a half month old English White Lab named Ozzy. He is the star of the OVS petting zoo.
When Ozzy comes down from the dorms everyone wants to come and cuddle and say hello. Mr Stewart and his family got the pup to train to eventually become a rescue dog.
They have only had him for a couple months, but the young dog has made quite a name for himself in the OVS community. Everyone knows and loves the puppy that can often be seen romping around the campus.
“He’s the sweetest puppy, when I saw him in town I got so excited when he ran up and started licking me,” junior Hannah Little said. “It’s so great to have loving animals like him on campus.”
Many teachers agree that animals on campus are good for the community’s physical and mental health. They are cute, cuddly and everything in between. Pets not only keep students mentally healthy, but they keep them exercising and moving when we need it most.
For Matt Olexiewicz this is especially true.
In 2016 Mr. Olexiewicz broke his back in a bad fall. Stuck in his apartment and off of work for six months, Mr. Olexiewicz was getting bored and quite frankly, lonely. Thus started the search for a friend to spend time with and get him out of the house.
He wanted a dog that he could take with him on his various backpacking adventures but small enough to pick up. When he went to the county animal shelter near Camarillo Airport, he saw a lot of dogs, many barking and just generally being loud.
And then there was Paco, quietly watching.
“Paco just looked and observed from his enclosure, and I knew that was the dog for me.”
Mr Olexiewicz does not always bring Paco to school with him, but when he does the campus lights up.
“I’ll see a student have a bad day and interact with Paco and it will take them out of it for a second,” said Mr Olexiewicz. “With Paco you can stop for a minute and just be chill.”
Darcy Corson couldn’t agree more. 
As the newest additions to the OVS community, Mrs Corson and her family, brought with them their dogs Bodhi, who they got in March, and Rex whom they’ve had for 8 years. These animals have brought with them a calm soothing presence.
The animals in the OVS community bring a sense of calm and warmth to all the students regardless of what difficulties they may be facing, making them a very popular and integral part of the OVS community.
“Petting animals lowers blood pressure,” she said. “They love everyone unconditionally.”
This sense of calm has been very good not only for the students, but for the teachers as well.
Craig Floyd, the headmaster of OVS, has been moving around since the Thomas Fire of 2017. After the “Heads House” burned down in the fire Mr. Floyd was living at the housing next to Lower Campus, and now that the new buildings are finished he lives with his wife, son, three dogs, one cat and 12 chickens.
These animals have come with him and his family everywhere, even mid-fire when the chickens were put in a family member’s backyard for a couple weeks.
The animals all stay with Mr. and Mrs. Floyd in the new “Floyd-ville” living space.
They even built a new chicken coop for their chickens after the previous one was lost to the fire. Mr. Floyd enjoys having his pets with him for his well-being but also for that of the resident students. 
“As resident students they are not able to have pets, and many of them will have pets at home, you know it’s a great outlet for them to be able to be engaged with animals,” Mr. Floyd said. “It brings a sense of home to the dorms.”
OVS Student- Journalist Caleb Carver contributed to this story.