{"id":10599,"date":"2014-01-31T08:56:23","date_gmt":"2014-01-31T13:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=10599"},"modified":"2014-01-31T11:13:09","modified_gmt":"2014-01-31T16:13:09","slug":"new-school-resource-officer-comes-full-circle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=10599","title":{"rendered":"New school resource officer comes full circle"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Kennett High grad, cause for cheering again<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

By Kathleen Brady Shea<\/span><\/strong>, Managing Editor, The Times<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Kennett<\/a>

Kennett Square Police Officer Sarah London, the new school resource officer at Kennett High, points to a 2001 photo that shows her on the school’s cheerleading squad.<\/p><\/div>\n

In the hallways at Kennett High on Wednesday, a woman in blue quietly generated head-turning during an unconventional homecoming of sorts.<\/p>\n

Staff members delivered a steady stream of greetings when they spotted the newcomer while a custodian and a tech guru orchestrated deliveries: a phone, computer, desk, and filing cabinet.<\/p>\n

OK, not everyone was enamored. With a handful of exceptions, students rushing down hallways interrupted conversations for wide-eyed stares before lowering their gaze and continuing to class.<\/p>\n

However, students who already knew Kennett Square Police Officer Sarah London – the school\u2019s new resource officer and a frequent volunteer with area youth programs – unabashedly extended greetings, even engaging her in conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of them are looking at me like I have five heads, \u201c London joked of the unfamiliar faces. \u201cBut that\u2019s OK; I don\u2019t think it will take much time for them to get used to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Kennett<\/a>

Kennett Square Police Officer Sarah London moves furniture into her small corner office at Kennett High School.<\/p><\/div>\n

London predicted a longer adjustment period for some members of the community. \u201cThere are definitely people who don\u2019t want me here,\u201d London said. \u201cBut I think they will change their minds when they understand what we\u2019re trying to accomplish.\u201d<\/p>\n

London\u2019s presence came about after the borough\u2019s Police Department and the Kennett Consolidated School District collaborated to apply for a state grant to fund a school resource officer. With boosts from State Sen. Dominic Pileggi and State Rep. Chris Ross, the effort succeeded, resulting in about $55,000 in funding for the first year of the program and half that amount for the second year.<\/p>\n

Kennett Square Police Chief Edward A. Zunino explained that London would work full-time in the district\u2019s two borough schools \u2013 the Mary D. Lang Kindergarten Center and Kennett High – under the command of the police department and in concert with the school administration. Previously, officers patrolled the schools regularly, but sporadically, he said.<\/p>\n

Zunino cited numerous benefits of having London working from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the schools: better security monitoring, the ability to address concerns proactively, and the opportunity to provide students with positive police interaction.<\/p>\n

London said she views her position as a liaison, someone who will work with her department, the school administration, the district\u2019s staff, and, most importantly, the students, ultimately making everyone feel safer.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m definitely not here to suspend kids; the goal is to be proactive and prevent problems from occurring,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She is no stranger to Kennett High\u2019s hallways, having graduated from the school in 2003. She said her family moved from State College to the Kennett school district in 2001 when she was a junior. Prior to that, she lived in Buffalo, N.Y. Her State College high school employed a school resource officer \u2013 long before the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado put them in the spotlight. \u201cIt was never weird,\u201d she said. \u201cWe always had one so we were used to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since Columbine, members of law-enforcement have continued to take steps to avoid similar tragedies, London said. For example, during the Colorado massacre, local police waited for the SWAT team before entering the building.\u00a0 She said Kennett Square and New Garden Township have partnered on \u201cactive shooter drills\u201d to make that step unnecessary. \u201cIf something would happen, we\u2019re not waiting,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But in her new role, London said she expects to rely most heavily on her training and experience as a volunteer and mentor. Estimating that she probably already knows about 10 percent of the approximately 1,200 students at the high school, she has watched some of them grow up through her work at the Garage and with programs such as Study Buddies and After the Bell. She has also served as a counselor for the past three years at Camp Cadet, a youth summer program run by the Pennsylvania State Police.<\/p>\n

London said she is looking forward to forging more positive connections, and she maintains a dizzying array of stress-busting hobbies\u2013 yoga, fitness, jewelry-making, glass-painting, knitting and more \u2013 that can stimulate conversation. \u201cFor many people, their only encounter with police occurs after a 9-1-1 call, which is typically a difficult, negative time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

From London\u2019s perspective, the Kennett school district should be applauded for endorsing the resource officer initiative. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean the school has a problem; it means the district is thinking proactively,\u201d she said. \u201cIt means the district recognizes that unfortunate things can sometimes happen, and it can say to parents: \u2018This is what we\u2019re doing to help protect your children.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

London said when she sat in Kennett High\u2019s classrooms more than a decade ago, she could never have envisioned returning in her present capacity. \u201cI always knew I wanted to work in law enforcement,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I didn\u2019t think I wanted to work in a small town.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said when she got a part-time job in the borough’s Police Department after graduating from the Police Academy, she quickly became a fan of the town\u2019s community atmosphere and was thrilled when she obtained a full-time position several years ago. She will mark her fifth anniversary with the department this summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWow! She\u2019s even moving her own desk,\u201d exclaimed one employee as London maneuvered furniture into her new office from the hallway on Wednesday. \u201cIt\u2019s on a dolly; it\u2019s not difficult,\u201d London said, downplaying the spectators\u2019 awe. \u201cI\u2019m a hands-on person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, for a woman who can dead-lift 275 pounds and is certified as a personal trainer, difficult is likely a relative term. Zunino said she\u2019s also one of the department\u2019s best shooters so potential law-breakers would be wise not to let her affable, pony-tailed persona belie her strength and tenacity.<\/p>\n

One of London\u2019s first visitors to the new job was Zunino, who said he met with London and High School Principal Michael Barber and liked what he heard and saw from both. \u00a0\u201cThis program is a win-win proposition for us all,\u201d Zunino said, echoing sentiments expressed by the mayor, Borough Council, and school officials.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWe are providing an element of security and outreach that will extend well beyond the boundaries of the schools for many years down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

London said she plans to do her part to make the initiative successful. \u201cI\u2019m definitely passionate about it,\u201d said the former Kennett High cheerleader. \u201cI believe in it or I wouldn\u2019t be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Kennett High grad, cause for cheering again By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times In the hallways at Kennett High on Wednesday, a woman in blue quietly generated head-turning during an unconventional homecoming of sorts. Staff members delivered a steady stream of greetings when they spotted the newcomer while a custodian and a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":10601,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,9],"tags":[3949,581,1149,1215,1683,3948,2370,2906],"class_list":["post-10599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-featured","category-schools","tag-high-school-principal-michael-barber","tag-kennett-consolidated-school-district","tag-kennett-high","tag-kennett-square-police","tag-kennett-square-police-chief-edward-a-zunino","tag-kennett-square-police-officer-sarah-london","tag-state-rep-chris-ross","tag-state-sen-dominic-pileggi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10599"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10599\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}