Co o l at Sc h o o l
Bobtown Backs the Blue!
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n January 9th, 2019, Bobtown Elementary School partnered with local law enforcement to celebrate National Law Enforcement Day. National Law Enforcement Day, celebrated annually on January 9th, began 4 years ago in 2015 and is working to gain momentum as a day of honor and celebration. Greene County schools continue to make the effort to ensure that local law enforcement is welcomed into the community. Bobtown Elementary is part of that; the school hosted a Law Enforcement celebration this year and welcomed officers from local departments to talk with the students. The event was planned by a committee consisting of ten Bobtown Elementary faculty members. Many of the officers involved were actually
FEBRUARY
2019 • GreeneScene Magazine
friends and family of the students and staff. On the day of the 9th, the school warmly welcomed officers from 9 local departments: Pennsylvania State Police; Pennsylvania Game Commission; Greene County Sheriff ’s Department; Greene County Regional Police Department; Greene County SCI, Department of Corrections; Fayette County SCI, Department of Corrections; Morgantown Police; Cumberland Township Police Department; and Southeastern Greene School District. On their arrival, each department was gifted a basket full of goodies, including snacks and crafts from the students. The elementary school children were very involved in the celebration. Children were encouraged to wear blue or even dress in uniform to honor the attending law enforcement departments. Five lucky students were picked to escort the officers throughout the building. Each department was assigned a section of the school and would visit those classrooms. I had the pleasure of sitting in with Sgt. Holly Demaske from Greene County SCI, Department of Corrections, as she talked with the eager and curious students. Topics discussed covered a wide range of questions including “Do you eat donuts?” to “What do you do everyday?” The officers answered every question, no matter how big or small. In addition to satisfying the curiosity of the elementary students, the major goal of the day was to help the students and future community members
interact with the officers, to trust in them and see their humanity. “It shows a different side of us. A lot of times we get portrayed as not very familyfriendly or not very community oriented, and that’s not the case at all. This event gives us the chance to show that we ARE a part of the community,” said Greene County Regional Officer, Zach Sams. “We wanted to honor and recognize the men and women that help make our community safe each and every day. We’re hoping that by holding an event such as this at Bobtown Elementary, it will help make people aware of this day so they can plan something to honor and recognize their local officers in the future,” stated a school representative.
by Sevanna Shields
“We plan on doing something a little different each year,” said Amy Caldwell, special education teacher and member of the planning committee. “We’re already planning for next year’s event!” The planning committee would like to thank the students, Uniontown Wal-Mart, Hranec Corp., Sons of American Legion #705, T-Tygart Industries, Greensboro Dollar General, Two Rivers Campground & Marina, and Carmichaels Shop ‘n Save for helping make this event possible through their generous donations. They would also like to thank every person from the force that gave their time to provide this special experience to the children.
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