As School Resource Officer Mitch Schelinder patrolled the halls of White Oak Elementary School one morning before Christmas break, dozens of children walked up to him for a high-five or fist bump on their way to and from class.
Although his main purpose is to protect the students and staff against potential threats or to diffuse an angry parent situation, “Officer Mitch” has quickly proven he is much more than police presence – he is also a friend to those at the school.
“It’s not a job for me, it’s fun,” he said.
Officer Schelinder, a corporal with the Cape Carteret Police Department, enjoys his time spent in the school. “I’ve got to say, I’ve never had a bad day working here,” he said. “I can’t say that about working the road.”
Out of more than 85 staff members, there are just three other men who are on the school grounds, a custodian and two physical education teachers, according to Officer Schelinder. So he became a mentor for students who may not have a strong male presence in their home lives.
There are roughly 825 students at the school, which teaches pre-K through fifth grade, and Officer Schelinder knows nearly all of them by their first names. He also knows all of the staff members, who greet him warmly when he passes by or enters a classroom.
When he isn’t guiding school traffic in the morning and afternoon, patrolling the sprawling school grounds, or teaching the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) course to fifth-graders, he said he tries to remain a silent partner in the school and bring a smile to the children’s faces.
Thankfully, the only reason he has had to remove his handcuffs from his belt is to show curious students, like one fifth-grader on the playground.
“Do you have your handcuffs,” she asked before requesting to see them.
“I’m at an elementary school, I always have my handcuffs. You guys get rowdy,” he joked.
