For Kennett High grad, cause for cheering again
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
Kennett Square Police Officer Sarah London, the new school resource officer at Kennett High, points to a 2001 photo that shows her on the school’s cheerleading squad.
In the hallways at Kennett High on Wednesday, a woman in blue quietly generated head-turning during an unconventional homecoming of sorts.
Staff members delivered a steady stream of greetings when they spotted the newcomer while a custodian and a tech guru orchestrated deliveries: a phone, computer, desk, and filing cabinet.
OK, not everyone was enamored. With a handful of exceptions, students rushing down hallways interrupted conversations for wide-eyed stares before lowering their gaze and continuing to class.
However, students who already knew Kennett Square Police Officer Sarah London – the school’s new resource officer and a frequent volunteer with area youth programs – unabashedly extended greetings, even engaging her in conversation.
Kennett Square Police Officer Sarah London moves furniture into her small corner office at Kennett High School.
“Some of them are looking at me like I have five heads, “ London joked of the unfamiliar faces. “But that’s OK; I don’t think it will take much time for them to get used to me.”
London predicted a longer adjustment period for some members of the community. “There are definitely people who don’t want me here,” London said. “But I think they will change their minds when they understand what we’re trying to accomplish.”
London’s presence came about after the borough’s Police Department and the Kennett Consolidated School District collaborated to apply for a state grant to fund a school resource officer. With boosts from State Sen. Dominic Pileggi and State Rep. Chris Ross, the effort succeeded, resulting in about $55,000 in funding for the first year of the program and half that amount for the second year.
Kennett Square Police Chief Edward A. Zunino explained that London would work full-time in the district’s two borough schools – the Mary D. Lang Kindergarten Center and Kennett High – under the command of the police department and in concert with the school administration. Previously, officers patrolled the schools regularly, but sporadically, he said.
Zunino cited numerous benefits of having London working from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the schools: better security monitoring, the ability to address concerns proactively, and the opportunity to provide students with positive police interaction.
London said she views her position as a liaison, someone who will work with her department, the school administration, the district’s staff, and, most importantly, the students, ultimately making everyone feel safer. “I’m definitely not here to suspend kids; the goal is to be proactive and prevent problems from occurring,” she said.
She is no stranger to Kennett High’s hallways, having graduated from the school in 2003. She said her family moved from State College to the Kennett school district in 2001 when she was a junior. Prior to that, she lived in Buffalo, N.Y. Her State College high school employed a school resource officer – long before the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado put them in the spotlight. “It was never weird,” she said. “We always had one so we were used to it.”
Since Columbine, members of law-enforcement have continued to take steps to avoid similar tragedies, London said. For example, during the Colorado massacre, local police waited for the SWAT team before entering the building. She said Kennett Square and New Garden Township have partnered on “active shooter drills” to make that step unnecessary. “If something would happen, we’re not waiting,” she said.
But in her new role, London said she expects to rely most heavily on her training and experience as a volunteer and mentor. Estimating that she probably already knows about 10 percent of the approximately 1,200 students at the high school, she has watched some of them grow up through her work at the Garage and with programs such as Study Buddies and After the Bell. She has also served as a counselor for the past three years at Camp Cadet, a youth summer program run by the Pennsylvania State Police.
London said she is looking forward to forging more positive connections, and she maintains a dizzying array of stress-busting hobbies– yoga, fitness, jewelry-making, glass-painting, knitting and more – that can stimulate conversation. “For many people, their only encounter with police occurs after a 9-1-1 call, which is typically a difficult, negative time,” she said.
From London’s perspective, the Kennett school district should be applauded for endorsing the resource officer initiative. “It doesn’t mean the school has a problem; it means the district is thinking proactively,” she said. “It means the district recognizes that unfortunate things can sometimes happen, and it can say to parents: ‘This is what we’re doing to help protect your children.’”
London said when she sat in Kennett High’s classrooms more than a decade ago, she could never have envisioned returning in her present capacity. “I always knew I wanted to work in law enforcement,” she said. “But I didn’t think I wanted to work in a small town.”
She said when she got a part-time job in the borough’s Police Department after graduating from the Police Academy, she quickly became a fan of the town’s community atmosphere and was thrilled when she obtained a full-time position several years ago. She will mark her fifth anniversary with the department this summer.
“Wow! She’s even moving her own desk,” exclaimed one employee as London maneuvered furniture into her new office from the hallway on Wednesday. “It’s on a dolly; it’s not difficult,” London said, downplaying the spectators’ awe. “I’m a hands-on person.”
Of course, for a woman who can dead-lift 275 pounds and is certified as a personal trainer, difficult is likely a relative term. Zunino said she’s also one of the department’s best shooters so potential law-breakers would be wise not to let her affable, pony-tailed persona belie her strength and tenacity.
One of London’s first visitors to the new job was Zunino, who said he met with London and High School Principal Michael Barber and liked what he heard and saw from both. “This program is a win-win proposition for us all,” Zunino said, echoing sentiments expressed by the mayor, Borough Council, and school officials. “We are providing an element of security and outreach that will extend well beyond the boundaries of the schools for many years down the road.”
London said she plans to do her part to make the initiative successful. “I’m definitely passionate about it,” said the former Kennett High cheerleader. “I believe in it or I wouldn’t be here.”
