Senior Clare Birkeland has been friends with the Kent County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Roe for a few years, so she was excited about the decision that brought him to Sparta as the district’s school resource officer.
Among her hobbies of reading, editing videos and making spray-paint art is a love of writing, so it is no surprise that she is one of students called on to write articles for the “Bell Ringer,” which highlights district happenings five times a year. She said she plans to attend either Ball State or Northern Kentucky University after graduation.
School resource officer wants to make personal connections
Article by Clare Birkeland
Sparta Area Schools welcomes our new school resource officer: Deputy Ryan Roe from Kent County.
Deputy Roe is a great addition to not only the staff here at Sparta, but also to the School Safety Team (SST). This committee was established in early 2018 and is dedicated to “proactively seek preventative measures to ensure maximum possible safety” (SST Mission Statement). There is no doubt that Deputy Roe’s presence will greatly benefit both the schools and the SST.
Deputy Roe said he took this job at Sparta not only to protect the students, but also to get to know the kids and become friends with all of them. That may seem like a big job considering the multiple buildings in our school district, but Deputy Roe is determined to interact with each and every student. Every day he makes his rounds, visiting the high school, middle school and elementary schools.
“I am at a point in my life where the most important thing for me is to leave a positive impact,” he said. “I like to think that if I were to change one kid’s future for the better, this will be a success.”
He was the guest speaker before the homecoming games commenced at the high school, has walked the halls of the middle school greeting all the kids he meets, and has read aloud to the boys and girls at the elementary schools.
He said he has learned the names of many of the students, in all grade levels, and is dedicated to making a personal connection with each. He greets students as they enter the school in the early hours of the morning, and has even been seen on the daily student-run newcast, Spartan News.
Already, he is making an positive impact on our schools, and Sparta is lucky to have him. Smiling, Deputy Roe says, “I am very excited to be here. I am proud to be a Spartan.”
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