Bobtown honors law enforcement on national day of appreciation
Samantha Karam/For the Observer-Reporter
State police Trooper Mateusz Zeglen is handed artwork and thank you letters from the students at Bobtown Elementary. The kids dressed in blue and lined the halls to welcome Zeglen and the other officers.
Samantha Karam/For the Observer-Reporter
Law enforcement officers pose outside Bobtown Elementary on Jan. 9, following a day of appreciation where the officers met with students and received a free lunch.
BOBTOWN – In celebration of National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, students and staff at Bobtown Elementary in the Southeastern Greene School District welcomed several local officers to their school, wearing blue shirts to show their support.
The 15 officers walked the halls, collecting drawings and letters of appreciation from students and went into individual classrooms to meet with smaller groups.
“We wanted to honor and recognize the men and women that help make our community safe each and every day,” said Amy Caldwell, a special education teacher at the school who helped organize the event. “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.”
The national day of appreciation was celebrated on Jan. 9, and has been celebrated across the country since 2015.
Casey Perrotta, an officer with Greene County Regional police, was one of those in attendance. He has 21 years of experience in public safety, the past six with the regional force. He and two other officers met with kindergarten students, navigating questions that ranged from ones about deadly force to why police wear microphones.
Overall, Perrotta said, his objective was to teach the students that police are their friends and they should always tell the truth.
“We want the children to not be afraid of police. What makes me really upset is when parents instill fear of police in a child’s mind,” he said, referring to parents who tell misbehaving children the police will discipline them. “The best thing to do is be positive and make sure kids know we are their friend and there to help them.”
The elementary school in Southeastern Greene School District has ties to a lot of law enforcement officers, Caldwell said, which made this event even more special.
Caldwell’s son, a former student at Bobtown Elementary, is a police officer in Morgantown, West Virginia, and her brother-in-law is an officer in Cumberland Township. Two other officers have children who go to the school and another has a mother-in-law who teaches there. All were in attendance last week.
Caldwell said the school had a Hat Day in December where students paid a dollar to wear a crazy hat in support of National Law Enforcement Day.
“It bridges the gap that exists today,” Caldwell said of NLEAD. “It’s something I’m very proud to be a part of.”
Principal Rich Menear said he was glad to support the day and show appreciation to the men and women who keep our communities safe daily.
“I think at times (law enforcement) is a thankless job,” said Menear. “This is our way of thanking them for what they do for our community each day.”
Officers who attended were: Morgantown (W.Va.) police Patrolman Chris Caldwell; State police Troopers Forrest Allison and Mateusz Zeglen; Cumberland Township police Chief Bryan Smith, Lt. Melissa Adamson and Patrolman Jesse Caldwell; Southeastern Greene School District Officer Curt Brown; Pennsylvania Game Warden Brandon Bonin; SCI-Greene prison Sgt. Holly Demaske and Corrections Officer Bo Garnek; SCI-Fayette prison Sgt. Andy Jennings; Greene County Regional police Officers Zach Sams and Casey Perotta and Greene County Deputy Sheriffs Amanda Stauffer and Tom Jensen.