By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
Students and staff members at Dix Street Elementary in Otsego welcomed some special guests to the school on Thursday, Jan. 11.
As part of Dix Street’s third annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Day ceremony, five police officers took part in a celebration at the start of the school day.
The event had originally been scheduled to coincide with National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day on Tuesday, Jan. 9, but had to be moved since that day and Wednesday, Jan. 10, were snow days for Otsego Public Schools.
Law Enforcement Appreciation Day began at Dix Street in January 2022 at the suggestion of then-Parent-Teacher Organization president Caitlin Moore. That also happened to be Mark VanderKlok’s first year as principal at the school.
“I was excited the idea from the get-go,” VanderKlok said. “I grew up next door to a Michigan State Police officer and his son was by best friend growing up. He ended up becoming a trooper as well and is currently the Michigan State Police Fire Investigator for our region.
“Growing up so close to the family of a law enforcement officer instilled in me how tough and sometimes dangerous that job can be.”
VanderKlok’s childhood friend was among five police officers who took part in this year’s event. Three of those were officers from the Otsego Police Department and one was the district’s school resource officer.
“A few MSP officers were planning to come but couldn’t make it since we had to reschedule and they had other engagements,” VanderKlok said.
The five officers, who greeted students as they entered the building to start the school day, received thank-you notes from students and families. Donuts and coffee were also provided to the officers.
“The officers who come always say how much they just enjoy being invited to come in and greet the students each year,” VanderKlok said. “They also appreciate the many notes of thanks from the students.”
VanderKlok said students always enjoy meeting “real” police officers. And some students who had thought about embarking on a career in law enforcement shared that they were even excited about the prospect following the event.
“For some of our students, they have only had a negative experience or have heard of officers in a negative way,” VanderKlok said. “I think it is important for students to see officers as regular adults who are friendly and want to help them.
“In our moments of need, law enforcement officers are typically first to arrive to help. It’s important for students to see them as a hero and not an enemy or someone to be afraid of.”
VanderKlok hopes to continue Law Enforcement Appreciation Day at the school for the foreseeable future.
“Obviously, this event is very personal for me and is one that I am very passionate about,” he said. “It is a great event to continue to build the district’s relationship with our law enforcement officers, which is very important nowadays.”