THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 3, 1996 TAG: 9603010191
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Susan Smith and Eric Feber
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
On Monday night about 30 Chesapeake residents gathered in a classroom at the Chesapeake Public Safety Building for the first session of the Citizen's Police Training Academy program.
For several hours the volunteer students listened intently as Chief Ian M. Shipley, Jr., Deputy Chief Richard A. Justice and Capt. J. E. Saunders shared the mission, goals, arrest facts and budget items of the Chesapeake Police Department with their captive audience.
But it was Field Training Officer Leonard J. Stolecki, Jr. who captured the students' attention, brought them to their feet and, without hesitating, provided protection.
After class Stolecki led the group to waiting vans that took them on a quick tour of the training facility.
There was an inspection of the gym and then on to the shooting range.
Here the officer answered a barrage of questions about guns, pistols, target distances, qualifying and safety precautions.
During an animated discussion about firearms, there was a rustle from a dark corner of the building. The crowd drew back and Stolecki stepped forward to protect his charges.
Suddenly a nosey opossum darted out from the corner curious as to who would disturb his accommodations.
``I've got everything under control with this ugly guy,'' Stolecki said as he reassured his shaky students. Poetic plaudit
Even though Carol L. Floyd, a kindergarten teacher at Butts Road Primary School, was recently cited by the Chesapeake Reading Council as its Reading Teacher of the Year, the award she treasures as much as that honor is a poem written by one of her colleagues.
The poem, ``A Shining Star,'' was penned by the school's first grade teacher Bonnie Rasmussen.
``She's our own poet laureate,'' said school principal Elizabeth S. ``Liz'' Stublen. ``Whenever we have a special occasion or someone at the school earns an honor, she writes a poem.''
Naturally, Floyd's recent achievement was immortalized by Rasmussen in verse, which Stublen read at the Reading Council's recent awards banquet.
Here is the poem, well deserved by Floyd:
Teachers come in different styles,
Some are loving, kind and full of smiles.
There are some that shine brilliantly against the sky,
There are others that twinkle and even appear to fly.
There is one special teacher who we can say,
Fits all of these categories in some kind of way.
She works extra hours to make our curriculum just right,
She works hard all day and takes a bag full of stuff home every night.
She'll speak before our school board with not much notice at all,
And if you need her for a committee, all you have to do is call!
But the greatest thing she does is teach what each little child will need,
She teaches all the subjects and plants that little seed.
The one that each child needs that makes them want to learn,
She shows them love and discipline and their respect she will always earn.
Does Carol twinkle? Does she really shine so bright?
You bet she does! Every day of the week and long into the night! by CNB