Day of safety and fun
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on June 1, 2016 1:46 PM
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Wayne Preparatory Academy third-grader Ayden Weisiger, 9, asks a question of 1st Sgt. John Denny of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday while looking at the office's OH-58 helicopter during the Day of Safety at the school.
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News-Argus/ALAN CAMPBELL
Wayne Preparatory Academy third-grader Joneshia Barnes, 9, left, watches with classmates as a Wayne County Sheriff's Office helicopter lands at the school on Tuesday during the Day of Safety.
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News-Argus/ALAN CAMPBELL
Ken Barrett, right, a special deputy with the Wayne County Sheriff's Office Dive Team, teaches Wayne Preparatory Academy third-graders about the team's equipment on Tuesday during the Day of Safety at the school as dive team member Deputy Albert Wood watches.
Students at Wayne Preparatory Academy were screaming with glee as they pointed at the sky.
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office helicopter had just zipped past the school on its northern side and disappeared from sight.
"Get to the choppa," one student screamed in his best Arnold Schwarzenegger accent.
Moments later, the beating of the helicopter blades thumped wind against the back of the students' heads as the aircraft came across the top of the school to land in front of them.
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office and several of its divisions entertained students at Wayne Preparatory Academy Tuesday morning at the school's first ever Day of Safety.
Students got the chance to view the sheriff's office helicopter, SWAT team, dive team and K-9 officers in action and even got to look inside a replica jail cell built in the back of a small trailer.
Tuesday's event was a result of a collaboration between fourth grade teacher Sonja Summerville and the father of one of her students, Lt. Michael Smiley, who is a deputy with the patrol division of the sheriff's office.
Anna, Smiley's daughter, approached her father and told him her teacher was planning a career day.
When plans for a career day fell through, Smiley, a 16-year veteran of the sheriff's office, suggested to Ms. Summerville that he speak to Wayne County Sheriff Larry Pierce and set up a day for the sheriff's office to come out and educate the students about their operations.
"I hope they (the students) learn information on how to stay safe and that they make sure they remember what they learn here today so they can stay protected," Ms. Summerville said.
One of the students' favorite displays on Tuesday was the helicopter.
As deputies showed the students the ins and outs of the 1969 helicopter named "Raven," they were met with eager eyes and craning necks trying to get a closer look.
Other students enjoyed the SWAT team display in front of the school, where members of the team showed off their equipment and discussed how and why they used it.
"I liked the gas masks and the guns and tasers," said third-grader Noah Fox. "The taser sounded like popcorn."
Second-grader Kelsey Capps, whose father, Brian Capps, is a police officer at the Goldsboro Police Department, said "everything" was her favorite during the event, but not so much the jail cell.
"It was hard to get me to go in there," she said.
And while the exhibits were interesting, Smiley said the day held a deeper message on how the community can relate to law enforcement.
"There's a bunch of stuff with the perception of law enforcement these days, so it's nice to interact with the kids and clear up any misconceptions they have about who we are and what we do," Smiley said.