Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Bryce Peterson explains the duties of a police officer to kids from the summer reading program.
Firefighter Alberto Reyes and Alyx Scheller have just inspected the fire engine.
More youngsters from the summer reading group were fascinated with the fire truck.
The Odessa Public Library's Summer Reading Program – with its theme, "Who's Your Hero?" – had local kids exploring heroes both in nonfiction stories and with live visits from hometown heroes such as Jonathan Cloud, a member of the National Guard; Trisha Nelson, a registered nurse at Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center; Officer Bryce Peterson of the Odessa Town Police; and volunteer firefighter Alberto Reyes with the Odessa Fire Department. All heroes were warmly welcomed by the children, who excitedly engaged in learning about the professions of each visitor.
They learned about the importance of freedom and service to their country in discussions with Cloud. They explored the life of germs and how to take care of their health through good hygiene with Nelson. They were excited to learn about law enforcement and can still be heard today discussing forensic evidence and the fun facts they learned from Officer Peterson. They enjoyed learning the process of lifting fingerprints and seeing the tools that law enforcement officers use to gather evidence, as well as the experience of exploring a police vehicle and police bicycle.
Adults and kids alike enjoyed touring the fire station and riding on a fire truck, then discussing important fire safety and other helpful safety ideas with firefighter Reyes, where they got to see for themselves the gear and equipment needed to fight fires.
Each week, kids had a great time sharing stories of their heroes. They also participated in crafts and activities geared towards the weekly lesson, and got to take home fun handouts relating to their lesson.
The Friends of the Library appreciates the help of those visiting heroes for encouraging the children to explore community services. Weekly helpers who donated their time were Evan Gonzales, Victoria Peterson and Emily Nixon. Julie Jantz, the warm and friendly librarian, volunteered her time to help children find their special books to borrow, and Kim Nelson is to be commended for her untiring efforts to keep the program running this year.
Cassie Nixon is a member of the Odessa Friends of the Library. She and her husband David Nixon have three children.
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