Earlier this month, fourth and fifth graders at Essex Elementary School took to the school gymnasium for a program of play with local public safety officers from Manchester and Essex. Seen here with students is Essex Police Officer Daniel Bruce and MBTS Officer Andrea Locke.
The idea – coordinated at Essex by PE teacher Greg Marche – was more than just having fun and beating each other out at timed heats of building giant puzzle structures. After being appointed as our new school resource officer Andrea Locke of Manchester PD met with Mr. Marche of Essex Elementary and they began to brainstorm a way to have more positive interactions between local law enforcement and our school children.
“We wanted the children to know that they were able to have a personal relationship with the local police and we decided to coordinate a day of play between Manchester and Essex PD and our 4th and 5th grade students. This was a great opportunity to have some fun together and to create some comfort interacting with uniformed and non-uniformed people in local Law Enforcement. We came together just before winter break and played some strategy and teamwork games where the officers may have even had more fun than the students,” said Marche.
So, underneath all these fun and games there is a serious idea about building trust and relatability with members of local police. The program is part of the Essex and Manchester Police Department’s strategy to reach out within the school environment early to demystify and personalize safety officials in the local community.
