Battle Creek Montessori Academy students have big hearts
Students raise $1,302 for a new bite suit for the Calhoun County Sheriff Department’s K-9 Division
Students at Battle Creek Montessori Academy raised $1,302 for the K-9 Division to purchase a new bite suit. Battle Creek Montessori Academy has a close relationship with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department. Each month Deputy Dave Winder comes to the school to teach a curriculum that includes topics such as safety, bullying, drug awareness and “stranger danger.”
During Deputy Dave’s last visit, he and Deputy Matt Burpee dog’s Rocket and Rizzo showed the students how they train police K9’s to smell explosives and narcotics.
“He showed us how the dog can sniff down people and tracks,” Ava, a preschooler at Battle Creek Montessori said. “His dog can smell more than us because they can track down people you wouldn’t be able to find so they can’t escape. I want to be a police officer like Deputy Dave.”
Ava’s classroom raised the most amount of money, totaling $210.
Deputy Dave also shared the importance of using bite suits in training police K9s. During scenario training, the bite suits allow the trainer to properly teach the dogs how to approach the “bad guys,” as the deputy called them.
After Deputy Dave and Deputy Matt visited the school last month, the head of school, Jessica Eldridge and a few other teachers brainstormed ideas on how they could support the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department. They decided to conduct penny wars and “dress down days” between the classes to raise money to purchase a new bite suit.
“Our character trait for December was compassion,” said Eldridge. “We wanted to show compassion to our local police force for they provide safety and compassion to us all the time. We are grateful for their unconditional support and the services they provide to our school community.”
The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department was thrilled to hear of Battle Creek Montessori’s support.
“It was humbling to learn that the kids at Battle Creek Montessori Academy wanted to partner with us to help raise funds for a bite suit that we could use for training purposes,” Deputy Dave Winder said. “Bite suits are so important to us to have when training of our dogs so that we can be influential in fighting crime in our community.”
Battle Creek Montessori Academy loves the collaboration with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department. The kids love being compassionate and showing respect to those who keep them safe.
To learn more about the Battle Creek Sheriff’s Department K-9 Division, visit https://www.battlecreekmi.gov/285/K-9.