School Heroes in the Hallways
A new school year means new buildings, new classes and new friends, but inside the halls of Pickerington High School Central and Ridgeview STEM Junior High there are two familiar faces that bring comfort to the students and staff: the school resource officers.
(L-R) Officer Jeremy Collier and SRO Officer Matt Swaney
Officer Jeremy Collier
Pickerington Police Officer Jeremy Collier has been an SRO for four years, while Officer Matt Swaney recently began his third year in the schools (with one year away due to his military deployment to Iraq).
Collier started his career with the Pickerington Police Department (PPD) 13 years ago and moved from patrol officer to the SRO role because he wanted to make a positive impact on the lives of young people.
“The job isn’t just about enforcing local and state laws,” Collier says. “It’s also about being a good role model. It’s about being a resource and advocate for the schools you serve.
“No two days are exactly the same, which is why I love it. I like to laugh, poke fun and make fun of myself to make things interesting. I try to always be available to students and staff for any safety questions or concerns they might have. It’s rewarding when they come to me for advice or just to talk about their day.”
Officer Swaney agrees that the job is different every day and that many of the engagements aren’t even related to law enforcement.
“I walk the hallways during class exchanges and assist with day-to-day operations, but I also spend a lot of time asking students how they’re doing, smiling and giving out fist bumps,” Swaney says. “I enjoy working with kids and helping them navigate their adolescent years, but I also like keeping them safe from things that could hurt them.”
“The value of having an SRO in the building is about safety, but it’s also about relationships,” says PHSC staff member Melissa Morehart. “I love seeing the students come and visit the officers on a regular basis. They get to have real, honest conversations with them. I feel it helps a lot of kids to see that the officers are our partners here in school and out in the community.”
As for the challenges of the SRO job, Collier says it’s dealing with students and staff members who are in crisis and his fellow SROs agree.
Officer Matthew Swaney
“I want to be as much help as possible, but sometimes these situations become complex and require more support than I can provide alone,” Swaney says. “There are a lot of misconceptions regarding the job of an SRO being easy. However, if it were easy, every officer would want to do it.”
Despite the uncertainties of each day, and the challenges of the job, both officers say the rewards are greater than they imagined.
“There’s no other job that you can have, other than being a teacher, that you can affect the trajectory of so many lives at once,” says Swaney. “Seriously, in a single day as an SRO, you can encounter hundreds of students. I love having the opportunity to be a counselor, a mentor and a positive role model for them.”
Collier said he has a lot of great memories from the past four years and that it always stands out when the students come up to him at the end of the year and thank him for making an impact on their life.
“It reinforces why I do what I do,” Collier says.
Be Alert
The Pickerington Police Department is warning residents of a phone scam where the caller is claiming to be a police officer. The calls originate from a blocked number and the caller states it’s in reference to a ‘personal legal matter” and that the person needs to pay a bond or turn themself in. The PPD would never contact anyone by phone to pay fines or request any other type of payment. Residents are warned to never give out their personal information over the telephone.
Upcoming events
October
24 – Haunted Village
6-8 p.m.
Olde Village Pickerington
31 – Tots Trick-or-Treat
1:30-2:30 p.m.
City Hall
31 – Community Trick-or-Treat
6-8 p.m.
November
1 – Tickets on Sale for Breakfast with Santa
27 – Santa’s Mailbox
Letters can be dropped off at City Hall
between Nov. 27-Dec. 13
For more information on these events, visit www.pickerington.net
Silver Medalist Comes Home
It was a hero’s welcome for 2024 Olympic silver medalist Annette Echikunwoke, as she returned to her hometown for the 76th Annual Pickerington Lions Club Labor Day parade.
Echikunwoke, a 2014 Pickerington High School North graduate, came home for the parade after her recent Olympic triumph in Paris. Echikunwoke finished second in the women’s hammer throw with a throw of 75.48 meters and became the first U.S. female athlete to ever win a medal in that event.
Mayor Lee Gray presented Echikunwoke with a Key to the City and Lisa Milne, Director of Alumni Relations for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, presented Annette with an Olympic flag.
Congratulations to the Violet Township Women's League on its 25th Anniversary! Pictured with City of Pickerington Councilman Nick Derksen are the original five members who formed the organization back in 1999 (L-R): Jan Powers, Kathleen Murphy, Connie McClellan, Nancy Mack, Ann CradduckLearn more about the VTWL and its community projects by visiting www.vtwl.org
