Alternative Standards Program students visit sheriff’s office and fire department
Alternative Standards Program classes, students in a specialized educational environment with integrated life skills, from Rosemary Clarke Middle School recently experienced a glimpse into the inner workings of local first responders’ duties.
“This is a really good outreach for us to do … because it gets them out into public,” Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill told the Pahrump Valley Times in the morning before the day started. “It gets them interaction with law enforcement. They know that they can trust us. They have a great time. It’s something out of the norm for their school day and so we really love it. It’s a great, great time.”
The field trip earlier this week was the fourth time the sheriff’s office has hosted these students from Rosemary Clarke Middle School.
“It’s a great experience for the students,” Rosemary Clarke Middle School teacher Melissa Jennings explained.
Arrival at the sheriff’s office
The visit on Wednesday, Oct. 7 began at around 8:20 a.m. As students walked off the school bus, sheriff’s office personnel greeted the children.
After the youngsters made their way into the sheriff’s office, everyone took a seat and Nye County Undersheriff Cory Fowles welcomed the students.
Once introductions were complete, Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill and Sheriff’s Administrative Manager Tammy Engel handed out the American classic sweet breakfast treat of donuts for the children to enjoy.
During breakfast, the students also got to pick out various colorful sunglasses that many wore throughout the day.
In the driver’s seat
Seeing the interiors of deputies’ patrol cars followed donuts. While sitting inside the vehicles, the children talked through the speakers and activated the lights.
Fire station fun
Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Station 1 was the next stop for the students. Once there, firefighters greeted the children.
At the station, the children took a tour of the building, looked at various vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks and even got to spray a hose.
Up close with police dogs
After finishing at the fire station, the students walked over to Petrack Park, where K-9 units from the sheriff’s office were waiting. There, children pet one of the dogs and also saw the equipment used to train the K-9s.
A demonstration of what the K-9s do in the field closed out this section of the day, along with questions for the law enforcement officers. Then it was off to the Nye County Training Facility.
Meeting a specialized sheriff’s office unit
At the training facility, the students met the sheriff’s office SWAT team and looked through their vehicles. The SWAT team even demonstrated a flash-bang.
Good pies and goodbyes
A pizza lunch at the sheriff’s office substation concluded the day before the children headed back to the school bus.
For more information about the Nye County Sheriff’s Office visit nyecountysheriffsoffice.com or the agency’s Facebook page under its name.
Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com
