PreK4 students learned about servants of our community this month by visiting the Smyrna Fire and Police Department on a field trip. During the field trip, arranged by Whitefield’s Chief of Security Mitch Plumb, students saw the 911 dispatch room, sat in a police car and used its speakers to ask fictitious violators to “Pull over!” They also learned about the roles of police officers in a community. At the fire station, the students saw the firemen’s living quarters, climbed aboard the fire truck, and learned about the training required to become a fireman. Unexpectantly, an emergency call came into the fire station, and the firemen had to spring into action in front of the Whitefield group. The students watched the team pull out in its engine, sirens blaring.
In a follow-up visit from the Smyrna Police Department, students met the Smyrna police dog, Paco,
and learned about how he assists police officers. Mark Cole, a Smyrna police officer, brought Paco to Whitefield as a special treat for the PreK4 students.
“This month we read a book called Officer Buckle and Gloria which is a humorous story about apolice officer who brings his dog to school,” said Rainey Perry, PreK4 teacher. “In the book Paco won’t follow any of the officers commands, but makes funny poses behind the officer’s back. The kids loved it but seeing a real police dog was even better. We are also studying the letter P, so police and Paco were great words to learn the P sound!”