CUYAHOGA FALLS: Along with their body armor and training, Cuyahoga Falls police officers are wearing an extra layer of protection these days, courtesy of nearly 400 students of Immaculate Heart of Mary School.
The first- through eighth-grade students of the Catholic school are including the officers in their morning prayers this school year.
Sixth-grader Jason Blain thinks it’s a great idea.
“We’re doing something good for people who do a lot for us,” he said.
An IHM parent, Mary Kiesling, heard on a radio broadcast a story about a New York school with a similar program.
“I thought, with everything going on with the police right now, this would be perfect,” she said.
It was easy to get the teachers and Principal Kathleen Friess on board.
Kiesling, who is president of the school’s Parents Assistance Group, met with Falls Police Chief Jack Davis to get his thoughts on the program.
“I didn’t know if we were crossing a boundary we shouldn’t be crossing,” Kiesling said.
Davis was receptive.
“I thought it was a very nice thing they wanted to do,” Davis said.
He put out a memo to officers, asking anyone who was uncomfortable with the program to let him know. No one did, he said.
The 75-member department — including three canines — were divided among the 15 classrooms. Each classroom was given a framed list of their officers’ names.
Then the students got to work, writing notes and letters to let their officers know the IHM Prayer Warriors were adding them to their daily intentions and inviting them to visit. Some asked personal questions, like birthdays or favorite colors. Each officer received a pewter-colored coin depicting St. Michael, the patron saint of police officers.
“I have to say, the kids are excited but so are the officers,” Friess said. “It’s been kind of reassuring to watch it unfold.”
Each grade is assigned one month during the school year to do something for the whole department.
“It doesn’t have to cost money,” Kiesling said. “It can be notes or a sign.”
In October, the eighth-graders sent Lifesavers candy with notes, thanking the officers for being their lifesavers.
The sixth grade, under teachers Gina Cavalier and Mary Jenkins, are in charge of November.
They’re helping the students put together a fall basket, including packs of Extra gum and multicolored leaves with personal notes written on them, detailing the extra things police officers do to keep the community safe.
Some of the officers have made surprise visits to the classes that have adopted them, including School Resource Officer Ed Dennis and his K-9, Dan-C, who visited the first-graders. Officer Alan Pipes has twice visited Jenkins’ sixth-grade class.
“We got to ask him questions,” student Isabella Augustus said of Pipes’ visit.
Pipes was candid with his answers, although according to student Gwenyth Gilbert, he couldn’t talk about the most interesting cases he has solved or investigated.
The students said he told them that he doesn’t like when he has to use his Taser, he was once hit by a car while on duty, and the best thing about being undercover is being able to grow a beard.
“The neat thing is being able to be recognized as a positive influence,” Pipes said.
Dennis said he carries his St. Michael medal every day.
“The kids are learning at a young age that we’re here to help them, we’re out here to make things better and if they need something, they know they can come to us,” Dennis said. “Not like when parents tell their kids if you’re bad, he’s going to arrest you. Kids get to know officers personally and it changes their view of what officers are, that they’re normal people with families.”
Since the program started at the end of September, Kiesling and others have made five trips to the police department to deliver notes, letters and other items from the school.
The lessons students are learning are at the heart of the IHM philosophy, Friess said.
“We teach our students how to live the Gospel values,” Friess said. “We can teach it from a book, but it’s that out-of-the-box experience that allows them to live it and breathe it and show action. That’s what we’re about.”