One by one, students excitedly walk from their classrooms into the lobby at Cole Elementary School for a chance to see the school’s newest attraction: Mollie, the Calming Cow. Everyone is eager to step into the small metal corral to meet the calf and feel her shaggy, red-colored coat.

Mollie is a Micro Mini-Highland, which is a cattle breed that originates from the Scottish Highlands. She is 3 months old, stands about 35 inches tall and weighs around 140 pounds. As a mini, this is about as big as she will get. The calf comes from the farm of Ben and Ellen DeFreese. Ellen is a third grade teacher at the school.

Mollie will appear at Cole throughout the school year. “How very fortunate we are to meet Mollie once a month,” says Principal Mike Pinto. “This visit was our introduction but we saw several students find calm when in her presence. This visit was so much fun and very educational. We look forward to our next Mollie Monday in October.”