Good bye my home !!

Well today we went to the Mandarin and I might say it was really good . It was so much fun to spend the last day outside of work. Cindy, Dan and I went out for a bit. After this I had to say godbye to Dan and again it was soo hard. He is like a brother to me and I am going tomiss him so much . When we arrived back at the village I got to go on one more trip to headqaurters. I spent my time in records and to be honest it was so cool. It was really cool to see how everything comes together in the officer. I got to see where all the records were kept and let me tell you IT IS SOOO MUCH !! After 2:45 I headed back to the village to say goodbye. I said my goodbyes and cried again... to be honest sir it was like leaving my family. It was so hard.. the hardest part for me was not being able to say goodbye to Bruce. I think that almost killed me . He is like a father to me and he always took the time to talk and see how I was doing , or share that laugh with me.. I am going to miss him very much. Now to Cindy... I do not think I let go of her.. she was the person who got me through , who guided me , who pushed me to go that extra mile and for that I cannot thank her enough. Without her .. my life would not be the same .. I AM GOING TO MISS IT HERE SO MUCH !! I am even crying writing this message !!

Wednesday.. never a right time to say goodbye...

I tihnk today was the most HARDEST day for me. This was the last time I was going to see jodi at my co op . I walked in and she just said .. this is m y last day I get to see you and she hugged me and I knew I had to hold back the tears for now. Cindy and I did not do very much today .. just fixed up some books while she went to headquarters. The next thing I knew Jodi walks in the room . And I knew it was time. I had to say goodbye. I started to cry my eyes out. This was extremely hard for me. Along side with Cindy she is like my second mom. She just hugged me and then pulled back for a bit and I began to cry even more and she huged me once more and then left, which I think was the right thing.. kind of like going to the airport to say goodbye...you knwo if you just stay it is going to make things worse. Jodi has touched my life in so many ways and I am going to miss her very much . However .. it is just goodbye at the co op. Her and I still stay in contact and are planning to spend some time together .. MAYBE EVEN A RIDE ALONG :P !!!

Tuesday with brenda boo and marryy!!

Sadly I did not get to teach with Cindy today. HEr husbands aunt past away from cancer and the funeral was today. I was sad that I did not get to teach my last class with her. While she was gone I did some paper work for her, restocked the shelves for next year. I did get to teach class with Brenda and Mary. It was kind of cool to see the different reactions with the children . They are alot more quiet when the KNOW it is a police officer. I had alot of fun with them today and they did such a good job for nto knowing what to do .Brenda says as long as you know the basics your set.

Monday !!! June 11

Today I only spent and hour and a half at my co op, but I have to say that it was one of my best days ever. I felt that I needed to do something for my second family. What I did was got everyone a gift. I got them something that truly represented them and what they did for me. This is what I got for each officer.

Bruce: A Frame with the meaning of his name , it talked about his personality to a tee, A picture of him and I that I drew, and a card saying how he was like a second dad and how much I was going to miss him. He truly gave me a new found confidence.

Laurel: I got her a card, and angel ingraved with her name , candels and a picture of her and I.

Brenda: I got her an angel figurine, a picture with brenda and I, and an angel ingraved with her name. She is such an inspirational figure to me !!

Drew: For Drew I got a candle that was engraved and said thank you for lighting up my life, and a card

Mary: She is like a second sister to me so I got her a candle that was ingraved with a poem that said , sisters; share each others secrets and laughter and always there for each other. Her and I also love Third watch and I got her a poster made. Along with a card that explaine how much she meant

Jodi. For Jodi I got her a single rose, A frame with her name and the meaning of it, again it had the description of her personality. Hers was exactly the same as her persona. I also drew her a picture of her and I and a card that told her how much she meant to me and how she was like a second mom.

Pam: I gave Pam an angel engraved with her name and I gave her candle holders, with a card.

Cindy: Cindy was the one who took me under her wing and guided me over the past months. I think I wrote on both sides of her card. I brought her a single rose , the frame with her name in it and the description of her personality. And lastly I drew a picture or her and I together.

Dan: Dan is the best, I am so happy Cindy picked him to do the morning co op . I got him a single rose and I got him the card that was talking about everytime we spent together.

I love them all TOO MUCH ! And it is going to be so hard leaving my family

Second last weekly post !!

I never thought I would say this... but I am going to miss doing these blogs. This week my relationships with Cindy, Jodi, Bruce, Brenda and Mary have gotten alot stronger. I realised that I am going to have a really hard time saying goodbye and letting go. My dad is Bi Polar so he cannot be arround large groups of people and my graduation is coming up. My mother is going to be there for sure but I had one extra ticket. I was going to invite Cindy but her daughter graduation is the same day, I told her she was invited. I then asked Jodi, She is my role model and a second mother to me and it would mean the world is she would be there. Honest to god I thought she was going to hug me till I died. She was honored that I asked her but she was unable to make it. Sir these people are so influential to me and I love them with all my heart. This is going to be the hardest thing for me to let go of this experience and the people. Although is had come to an end I know I am going to stay in touch with all of them . As a matter of fact I am coming to visit them all on prom night. I walked past their calenders and all I see is annmarie's prom night !! This made me so happy!!

So this weekend I did a little shopping for Cindy and all the officers. I got them something that would intially thank them for what they have done for me. I have never been so happy in my life before, I have never seen people do so much for one person. I feel so special. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and now I must keep following the road ahead of me. I am just escited to walk into Cindy's office in my uniform in the next 3-4 years. It was wierd the other day I was just deciding to wait a few years to become a police officer .. but then I thought .. oh my goodness I am having such a hard time letting go and now I want to be doing this job AS SOON A POSSIBLE .. so no waiting for me !!

officer lavecchia

FRIDAY !!

Wow.. I just realised that this was the last friday I will have ever spent at the safety village.. this make me very sad ?Today I finished all the medals and got to see all the new people that were applying for the positions for next semester. You can tell how really wants it and who is there for just the heck of it. It is just sad to not see people want it really bad. I am going to mis it so much. In the mean time while Cindy was interveiwing Dan and I got to spend some time with the officers. Him and I love being with them. I got to talk to Jodi and Brenda and Bruce and make them laugh as usual. And we all decided to play a little prank on Mary. Her and I hate ants and my mom the other night placed this huge fake ant on my head and I started to scream. So I decided to take the trusty ant to co op. Jodi and Brenda were all like place it in her lunch box. So I did, but I thought it would be a little to extreme. Mary came back and had her lunch .. she was all happy and opened her lunch box and all of the sudden she stops and takes a good look. WHAT IS THIS !?!? And she dropped her lunch bag and start to kick the ant . It was so funny. I then went to go teach the bike program along side with Cindy, again the kids were getting out of hand. I just remember to stay focused and reinforce the rules. I found that this worked alot better !! And I did it. Ten minutes to three Cindy had to run to head quarters and left me behind to greet the co op student that was being interviewed. He was soo cute and so polite. I told Cindy that I approved of him... you could tell that he really wanted it. When Cindy arrived back I went in the officer and waited with Mary. She and I just talked about everything and I asked if she wanted to get together outside of co op and she just said MOST DEFINATELY !! Mary is like my second sister and she is EXACLTY like me !!

annmarie

Thursday .. stressful day !!

oh my goodness.. I am not going to lie the classes are getting a little harder to teach as the day go on. To be honest I think they should stop teaching classes a week earlier, Cindy and I find that the students to not pay attention. They are not listening to Cindy when she is trying to teach and when they are outside they do not obey the rules. We have had a few close calls this year and it is really starting to stress me out. When being outside you cannot just stay in one spot. YOU ALWAYS have to be moving. And literally there is not time to take a a 5 second break and breathe... you have to keep on moving. I walked in after the class and Mary saw me and was like : oh my gosh annmarie breathe. I was just in shock .. I have not had that many students before and it was a little difficult, but I am glad I did it . Cindy ALWAYS reassures me that everything is going to be ok and that I can do anything.. and it is so true, I think I can't. When we create no in our mind we are creating our own roadblocks. She has taught me to believe in myself !! I am so proud of myself.. I can do anything !! And it is because of Cindy.. my second mommy !!


annmarie

GRAD LUNCHEON !!

was not at co op today.. was at the grad luncheon .. however Cindy and the other officers helped me pick out my dress :P

Tuesday june 5 !!

Well today I got to spend time with Cindy!! Well what we are doing now is getting together all the medals for the dare Grads. While Cindy goes to teach a class I am busy away counting all the medals for the officers. Let me tell you .. everyone thinks it is so easy.. but really it is very time consuming . When doing this you have to make sure that you have the exact number of medals and label all the medals counted for the officers. I will do this for about half an hour( that is how long Cindy will be teaching for). After this I head out side to help teach the bike safety program!!

Monday !! A day with Jodi<3

Today I got to spend the day with Jodi!! Besides Cindy.. she is my favourite and she is my second mom. I was so excited that I got to spend three hours with her !! What her and I were suppose to do was watch Jodi teach one of her DARE classes. She is leaving the unit to go back onto the road. Each officer has a set of years they can spend in a unit.. that would be 5-6 years. And it is so wierd becuase Jodi and I are leaving at the same time. Sometimes I think I was meant to meet her and that i was meant to be picked for this co op position. However Jodi and i went to Alexander Public school and I was so excited to see her teach this class, but we forgot one thing... EQAO TESTING!!! So Jodi and I never got to go teach.. as fast as we got in ..we walked right out. But this did not stop us from spending the day together. She took me to Tim Hortons and got a coffee and we talked. She told me how much I meant to her and that she wants to keep in touch. Jodi again told me that out of all the students she has seen I never let them intimidate me, and that some of the students walk into this unit and say they want to be police officers but never follow through or do nto have the passion, she said I was going to be that student who would follow through with my dream !! It meant soo much and again I started to tear up.. I am just not use to hearing all this wonderful stuff. After timmies Jodi needed to drop some things off to schools. On our way driving there she turned on the Radio to the station I listen to . And she started to sing and dance and I was in shock .. cause that is EXACTLY what I do. So here Jodi and I are singing and dancing to Bon Jovi ,Mary J blidge , and Black Eyed Peas. After the day we spent together she dropped me off at home and was in shock. All I hear is " OH MY GOD ANNMARIE YOU LIVE BESIDE THE POLICE STATION?? Turns out Jodi is working behind my house and promised me that she will be visiting me !! She said people will be wondering why a police car will be sitting in your drive way!

officer lavecchia !!

THE WEEK !!!

Wow... two weeks left. I am just in shock that it is almost coming to an end. I am going to give it my all these next couple of weeks. This week really opened my eyes to the many different opportunies policing has to offer. I am very excited. The k-9 unit has been something that I have been interested for several years now and I think it just might be an option in the future. I am really excited about the road ahead and the different doors I can open.

The people I have met are so great! Bruce is my second dad , Cindy and Jodi are my second moms, Brenda is such an inspirational figure and Mary is like a best friend. I do not want to leave but I know they are always going ot be there.. I may not be able to see them all the time but I know in my heart we will stay in contact. I am pretty sure Cindy and Jodi and I will keep in touch !! And I will visit Bruce , Mary and Breda... The funny thing is they might see my transformation of me becoming a police officer. I am so excited. Time just flies by so fast and I can't stop it. But what I can do is live out my dream !!

officer lavecchia

FRIDAY JUNE 2 K-9 UNIT !!

I had the most coolest experience! I got to meet the k-9 unit and take part in a demonstration. It was incredible. I got to ask her questions and she was really impressed at our interest. I asked about how long the dogs are working for and that is about 5-7 years, I also asked if they could get another dog. Halton has a one dog policy , just due to the fact that other officers are entitled to a turn. It is just a shame becuase they have all this experience and after this they must go back on the roads. I was thrilled I got to ask Tori( the dog handler and police officer) these questions. She is so great and such a sweet person. I also got to take part in a demonstration. They placed me on the roof of one of the buildings and Baron ( the dog ) found m. I was in shock . These dogs are incredible !! Well not every day are you on a roof for co op !!

P.S Did you know that halton does not have drug dogs ! Police Dogs are only used for tracking , so this would be to search for missing persons, criminals and abandoned vehicles.

officer lavecchia

Thursday !! June first

Wow .. only two weeks left, I am actually very sad . Today we did not have a class to teach. However I did get to help Cindy with the new applicants for next semester. There was alot of Holy Trinity applicants.. I am not sure why , maybe becuase of my good advertsing ? I am joking ! But I must say one thing, as soon as Cindy was done her last call , I started to cry. She asked me what was wrong and I just said I am so sad it has come to an end. And all of the sudden she said NO YOU HAVE TWO WEEKS LEFT !! Bruce walked in and was like " CINDY WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO TO HER" , he is just not use to seeing me cry, that lasttime I cried was when I got the scholarship. I am just so sad the end is approaching. Cindy and I went into head qaurters as well and Joan the girl who works in human resources came up to me and said to me ... annmarie we will never find another girl like you and you did so much ! This made me feel so happy !! I am just having a hard time letting go !!

annmarie

wendesday May 30 !!

Today Cindy got to have time off so I was at the village on my own today !!Well... not exactly .. BRUCE BABY SAT ME :D :D !! I had to do a few things while I was waiting for my baby sitter to arrive. While Cindy was gone I had to put the boxes away from the golf tournament, sort out books for the classes on friday, rewind tapes , and count out DARE certificates for Brenda's classes. Then Bruce came and I got to spend the rest of the afternoon with my second dad !! I do not think I have ever laughed so much in the hour that I was with him . I laugh like tickle me elmo ... ask anyone and Bruce was shocked ! Everytime I would laugh he would start and then I would laugh even harder !! It was soo funny, I had such a great time .. I just missed Cindy today!!

officer lavecchia

GOLF TOURNAMENT !!! Tuesday may 29 !!

So today I was not at my co op I actually got to take part in the golf tournament!! What this event did was raise money for the DARE program. This money is then used to buy needed supplies or pay for other costs that need to be taken care of. What I did today was watch a hole in one. Here if the golfer got it in the hole he or she won a car !! Not a leased car but a CAR free of charge. No one actually got it in that day but Dan and I ( Dan was a tthe hole with me ) saw someone come close. NO JOKE the ball was prababley 2 centimeters away from the hole. He and I were in shock, however the golfer did not seem to suprised. He just non chalantly walked down the hill and acted is if nothing occured.

Dan and I must have sat at this hole for about a good 6-7 hours. We started to go crazy , literally, both of us got up and started to pace back and forth. Bruce and Mary came by to keep us company at times which was great. I had the most incredible evening !! I was with the people I love most ... my family and that is all that matters ... I am just sad that it is coming to an inevetible end.

future officer lavecchia

My week!!

Ok !! So everyday that I am not at my co op I am kind of sad !! This is my second home and it is almost as if I am not seeing my family andI miss that. Being at school is fun, I mean I get to see my freinds and that is great... but as soon as I am in class it is so boring. I realyl enjoy being out there and doing things.

Again this week I am so proud of myself. Cindy has really given me the confidence to do things that I thought I would never be able to accomplish before. Over the last weeks I was unsure whether or not I could make phone calls. I was just unsure of myself. But Cindy reassured me that I could do this. These few weeks I have left I am able to do anything. Any phone calls that have to be made or any confirmations I take care of them now... I am so proud of myself. This took alot alot of my courage. I know your thinking... " wow this girl was afaid to make phone calls". But really it was just another hurdle that I jumped. Life is a race.. there are mutiple hurdles you go to jump in order to finish. I have learned to do that. Any troubles I have you just got to believe in yourself and jump.. well not literally. This week was incredible and honestly CINDY IS THE BEST!! She is my second mom and she takes great care of me and makes sure I am comfortable with what I am doing. Patience is a great gift she obtained. I am also getting close with all the officers Jodi, Bruce, Brenda,Laurel, Mary. It is going to be sad leaving. But I know I am going to see them again !! I promised them on prom night I would come and visit them to show them my dress ! Too bad Cindy is not there, she is done the same day that I am June 15 !


p.s I LOVE MY CO OP !! ( it must get annoying)
" officer lavecchia "

May 25 2007 In class

Today we had inclass. We basically talked about our safety at the initial placement and we got onto bases about our culminatings. Then I got into a little trouble.. becuase I was playing the spongebob game. I was done all my work though.

P.S .. I miss being at my co op... in class is just so long !

Thursday !! May 24

Today I did alot more confirmation for classes and I got to attack the vests again. I got three more done today , the more I do the faster I get. While Cindy taught the classes I did the vests and I got to talk to Jodi, I think I have mentioned her before but besides Cindy she is my second mommy and I love her very much. She was just giving me advice and talking about school and work and it was great. I never really get to see them much any more due to the fact that they are teaching. However I am very sad , this is Jodi's last year in the DARE unit so she leaves when I leave. I am going to miss her very much but I know her and I will stay in touch. The class today I taught was really good, they were so polite and so kind. When I am here I feel like I am a role model and the kids look up to me and this is such a great feeling !!

P.S THE MUFFIN STORY CONTINUED!!

Well Laurel decided to make muffins again .. instead the were "flax chocolate chip muffins". So Cindy enjoyed her muffin today.. actually alot. Mary and I watched her eat this muffin . Mary told me to go to the bathroon with her and I saw her laughing and I was not sure what was wrong. She explained that Laurel used the SAME RECIPE FOR THE MUFFINS ,BUT SHE PUT CHOCOLATE CHIPS INSTEAD OF RAISANS, SO CINDY DID EAT THE SWEET POTATO MUFFIN !! I LAUGHED SOO HARD !! Cindy probabley thought Mary and I were crazy.

Preparing for golf tournament !! ( May 23)

There was no class today due to the fact that the teacher cancelled her classes. So we took today to prepare forEach year Halton Regional Police Sevice holds a golf tournament and all the money raised goes towards to DARE program. Cindy and I had a few boxes to look through ... basically stuff that had been used over the years and determing what could be used this year. Aftet this I got to confirm classes for next week! I am really proud of myself I can call schools up on my own !! These individuals I have worked with have given me the courage to do anything and I cannot thank them enough. I LOVE THEM ALL !!

p.s

The story of the muffin
Laurel is a person who enjoys and healthy eating lifestyle ( we call her the health food freak)and is always eating healthy food, so she made the sweet potato muffins. The name sounds kind of gross but they were soo good.. actually really good . But Cindy would not eat it so she secretly gave the muffin to Dan ( morning student) and saved a crum. Laurel knew what she did and was so disappointed .. but little di she know that Laurel would get her back .... to be continued......

Tuesday May 22!

Well back from the may 2-4 weekend !! I have to say I missed being at my co-op, I hate not being here , I just miss everyone even if it is for only a few days ! Today what Cindy and I did was teach another class. Each time I teach along side with Cindy I get a little better. For myself I have noticed that I am not shy or scared to approach the children and correct them on their mistakes. Cindy consistently encourages me and this is a great help ! Also along side this Jodi needed some help on taking apart these vest she had , basically I have to take the volunteer adhesive off. To be frank this is so tedeous and takes alot of time .. I think I got two done within a thirty minute time frame. I had a fun time .. I got to talk with Brenda a Laurel and got talking about prom and an incident that occured on the weekend and they called me a hero for .. it was nice to here ! They all said I am doing my work a little too soon !!

annmarie

My week, the better me !

So I have to say that this car suites me pretty well !! This is my future ride :D

I can honestly say I have become a better person. Over this past week I have grown again, Cindy took me under her wing and gave me the guidance I needed to over come my fear of being a strict person. And I did it , it was hard but I did it. She constently encourages me to push myself and to do better and I love that about her. The relationships I have developed are also amazing. On my first days it was a no go for Laurel and Jodi, they just did not come off the right way. But honest to God , besides Cindy , they are truly my favourites. They are all like mothers to me and I have such a great time with them . I have never felt so welcomed, they even mentioned that I was the only student that was outgoing on the first day and I was shocked. This made me feel soo good !! Also another officer I get along with great is Bruce , he is like a father figure, my dad is sick so I do not really have that relationship in my life at times and Bruce takes on that role. He and I can talk for hours and he is also a person who encourages me and pushed me to go farther. I also found out that bruce was one of the officers that was at my house when they had to take my father away... it is just so wierd how everything falls into place. to be frank I think this was fate, this career choose me, this is my calling in life and I am so thankful I got it now rather than later.

P.S I HAVE PICTURES OF ME IN A POLICE CRUISER !!! WOOHOOOO

officer lavecchia

Thursday.. charged batteries and taught another class .. Plus a visit by mr grace !

I have come along way over the past few months and I am so proud of myself! Teaching the class today was alot easier, I came over my fear which was a big accomplishment. I took charge and did the best that I could. Being strict was actually alot easier then I thought, you just have to make sure you are the leader and maintain that authoritative figure. After we taught classes Cindy and I put the Bikes away and placed all the batteries out on the side to be charged again. Then Mr Grace came , it was really nice to have Cindy talk about me the way she did, she is like a second mother to me and I love her to death. I hope I leave an imprint here , I hope I am a reminder to them , I just want to be that student that they will never forget. It was just so nice for her to say how I am such a great student and person , these words will continue to make me who I am today.

P.s

Thank you so much for saying that nice stuff to my mother it means soo much to her and I!

officer lavecchia

Wednesday The class !!!

Oh my goodness, all I can say is that I am so proud of myself! I was having a really hard time with the bike safety program . But I realised I can do this , it is just another hurdle I had to jump over. And that is what I did. So the next class arrived and I took charge. When the arrived I measured the children in order to take the heights for the appropriate bike to be used. During the program Cindy told me that I had to be constantly on the move. So that is what I did, it was hard at times though. You have to be strict with this program and take and authoritve figure role. That is what I did, I caught alot of mistakes this time and reassured the children of what they were doing. Cindy took note of that and noticed a great improvement. I was really impressed with myself today and thought I did an incredible job !!

annmarie

CLEAN UP !!

After police day there was alot of cleaning that had to be done and alot of packaging that needed to be done again. Well when we got back from the weekend , lets just say the village was not in place. Things were not done and alot of the things were out of place. So Cindy and I did a little cleaning . First her and I tidied up the classroom a bit, cleaned up any garbage that was lying around. Then we went into the hydro building, all the police signs that were taken out needed to be wrapped again !! So here we are again Cindy and I placed several bags over each sign and wrapped them and put so much tape around them .. no joke. Then we placed my Elmer away. We placed a bag over Elmer and he is ready to go for next year, it was kind of sad. I worked so hard on this and I remeber just talking about it .. but now it is done. Cindy looked over at me and said " This is your legacy your leaving behind and I will tell everyone my previous student who is now a police officer did this" this made me so happy. Well once again we got things done , like we always do .

officer lavecchia

POLICE DAY !!!

Instead of doing a weekly blog I hope it is ok to talk about police day .. I mean I think it ties into what I have been preparing for all week. It was INCREDIBLE and I had soo much fun. The little kids we so great and the parents were very kind and understanding. So I had three jobs while I was there , to give out wrist bands, maintain the lines ( they called me the line police officer) and to place cars back after each turn. It was alot of work but it was so much fun. Cindy was also very understanding, she let us go for breaks and made sure each of us got to take turns. On our breaks each of us went and got a little food and took a look around at the many different displays. Throughout the day we saw multiple TRUE demonstrations ( Halton Regional Police's SWAT team) it was AWESOME !! They came in on this police van and all the officers were ridig along side the wehicle and then this HUGE bomb went off !! It was so scary at first I think I jumped a mile high. Then lastly Cindy was so kind enough to let John( her previous co op student) and I to go take pictures in a police car it was so much fun ! Sir I have pictures.. BUT I am waiting for John to send me them .. in the mean time I have some pictures of the TRUE TEAM !! I am so glad I got to take part in this day... it just reinforces what I want to do !

Officer Lavecchia

FRIDAY !! Prep for police day !!

WOW!! It is finally here .. well I mean a day away but still POLICE DAY IS TOMORROW !! I was so excited. Today what Cindy and I did was all prep work. The phones were ringing like crazy and it was so incredibley busy. Never have I been so busy in order to prepare for one big day. What I did was place all the batteries in the cars, spray all the wasps nests, wait for al lthe hot dog buns to arrive, take calls for Cindy, carry all the signs in needed for police day and to basically hold the fort down. It was insanely busy in the village... but Jodi and laurel kept me sane. They were so nice and made me laugh as usual. For the first time ever Laurel gave me a hug and I was so suprised. Her and I are starting to get along just great and I am really happy about that. Also today Bruce and I confirmed the date to do the parent night! I am really excited about this .. this is something I love to do and I know I am going to do great !! YAY POLICE DAY TOMORROW WOOT WOOT !!

annmarie

A sad day...

Today we did not do very much at the village, Cindy and I did not have a class scheduled so her and I did a little preperation for police day, and I think I confirmed a few classes for next weeks visits to the village. It was a very sad day. I noticed that the flags were at half mast today by the police station near my house and at the village. Then it hit me she was gone. Jennifer was a Staff Seargeant at Halton Regional Police. Over the last year she had developed cancer which had spread through her entire body . Sadly there was nothing the doctors could do, so she was given a time frame. She had told the other officers she was going to pass. This was a hard thing for everyone to deal with, she was such a great individual. Jennifer would always come to work regardless of the pain , all her life all she ever wanted to do was become a police officer and all she wanted to do was spend her last days doing what she loved most, her career and being with her family. I came into my co op today and I have never seen police officers and Cindy cry and I wish I could do someting but all you can do is reassure them everything will be ok. I decided to talk about her in my blog because she meant alot to everyone , I hope you do not mind Mr. Grace, I just wanted to pay my respect towards this remarkable and courageous lady. For her I will live out my police career, she did not get to fufill all her time but I assure everyone I will live out her dream for her.

officer lavecchia

Communications

Today was alot of fun, it was so sad though the time went by so fast. I am not allowed to talk about it due to confidentiality reasons but I can talk about what I did. So for about two and a half hours I got to sit with the 911 communicater. Goldie was her name and she and I took 911 calls. It was so cool to see how it works. After that the 911 calls go through to the dispatcher where he of she will then dispatch an officer to a call. It was so cool to see how everything works. Out of all the things I have done this was by far one of my favourites. Just seeing howeveryting come together. So what happens is that the communicator will take the calls, and then the calls will then go through to the dispatcher and then police are notified. Now when ever I see a police car , or ambulance or fire truck I know where the calls come in and the people that recieve them . This people are incredible and have a great amount of courage and patience.

annmarie

Tuesday... ALOT was done !!

I was suppose to go to communications today , but it was a little busy and they had asked for me to go tommorrow so I am very excited about that , but still happy at the same time I got to stay with Cindy. We accomplished alot today. Today we recieved our shipment of books for the bike safety program FINALLY ! We have been waiting for this shipment for such a long time and we finally recieved it today . So I brought all the boxes into the buiding and we counted out books for the next class. I then put all the bikes away from the bike safety program that was taught in the moring and took down all the flags. Then before police day I had to do a few touch ups on Elmer and might I say he looks INCREDIBLE !! Dan and I did a great job and we are both excited that we are going to be leaving a legacy behind !

annmarie

Monday.. Classes again .. not liking very much

I still love my co op to death, however I am not a big fan of this bike safety program . It is very different from the regular kindergarten program that I was so used to teaching. The thing is you must stay on top of the children, if you do not pay attention something is bound to happen. what we try to enofrce is that by catching the children making a mistake you are able to show them where they went wrong. But for me it is a little difficult to constantly be moving.The thing is that I was so used to staying in one spot but now I have to keep moving around. Cindy was not mad but you can tell she wants me to get the hang of things. I think I need a bit more time with the program to get used to it. For me it is alot to take in in a short period of time. I know I can do this , it is going to be a little rough but time will help!!

alav !!

The week!!

This week was very different for me. I was able to accomplish things that I never thought I would be able to before and I am really proud of myself. This week my biggest accomplishent was being able to makea phone call , for some reason I was so scared to do this. I guess I did not want to mess up because Cindy does such a good job and I did not want to disapoint her , but it turns out she was really impressed by the work I did do and that is all the matters to me. It just meant alot to me that I was able to accomplish somethingthat I was not able to before.

I also got a chance to experience my first class this week and as said in a earlier blog annmarie is not to fond of the class. It is ok but it is just alot of work compared to the kindergarten program. You get so used to teaching one thing and then all of the sudden bing bang boom, you are on to a new program and it is like starting on my first day. It is going to take a week for me to settle into this program but I am excited. It is another thing that is going to make me a little more able to face anything. Life is pretty cool right now .. I have a new found confidence I did not know I had and I am able to accomplish anything..especially with the support I recieve from the people I work with !

annmarie

Friday!!

Ok so first of all let start off with the funny things ? Well today I took down the flags, as usual, which is a part of my routine I noticed something on the flag pole. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something move... it was a HUGE BUG... so I started to scream. Jodi, the police officer that I am really close with was coming back from the village from head quarters and saw me and ran over and was like annmarie what is wrong .I was laughind so hard and she looked on the pole and started to laugh and began to tell me that I was so much more bigger then this bug. Then we have this Robins nest on top of the traffice light .. and yes she laid eggs. So she is very protective, and Jodi decides to make the squaking noises and I am just standing there and this bird is getting so mad. Then jodi went back into the office and left me outside by myself .. so I hadto put all the bikes away having this killer bird watching me... it is kinda scary. I went back in and Laurel had drawn a robin picture on the wall saying killer robin, I have to say it was pretty freaky!! After that I made a phone call to a school to arrange a trip to the village. I have to say I am alot more confident in making these phone calls !! :)

The Killer Robin Rests here

annmarie aka officer lavecchia

My first BIKE safety class!!

Oh my goodness... let me just say it is not what I expected at all!! I was actaully thinking I was going to enjoy this program, but it turns out it is not one of my favourites. This program is alot of work. You always have to pay attention and there is alot of communication with the students. Another aspect that takes a bit of time is the intial set up and clean up it takes a little time to do so. What I noticed was that the children tend to talk back a bit too much. I was scared to intially say something but I think it was the best thing. They know that you are a figure of authority and will listen.. I just have to get use to it!! So after this first class I needed some critique and Cindy was awesome with guiding me and giving me the guidance I wanted and needed to hear. She recommended that I constently move around rather than focusing on one spot, which I understand. There is so much activity that you cannot just focus on one area. This is a new experience for me and it is going to take some time to get used to !! But I know I can do it !

annmarie aka the officer lavecchia

Wednesday PHONE CALLS AND FINISHING ELMER ! :)

I am sooo proud of myself. Guess what I finally did today? I phoned the schools to confirm the dates and to be honest I did a pretty good job at it and I am really excited about the outcome. The worst part was proababley over thinking it to much, and the truth is the people were very nice and I am glad I did it. I learned something new and I over came my fear. Cindy was really great in helping me and I honestly respect her and look up to her very much. She is such a role model and inspirational figure in my life!

WE GOT ELMER DONE ! He is finally finished today and he looks amazing. Today , Ivor, the maintenance employee mounted the sign up onto to the pole and he looks amazing. I am so excited for police day and the reactions I am going to get from the little children. I am going to be leaving a legacy behind here and Cindy will be seeing five years done the road, oh that was work from one of my students ... she is a police officer now. I am so excited to hear those words !!


officer lavecchia

Tuesday! Fixing Elmer

Elmer the elephant is very close to becoming done. He is almost finshed and the out come looks incredible. He looks so professional. What I had to do today was add the paint on the sides to protect the wood. It actually looks really cool though almost as if he has a shadow. Painting the sides took a really long time. It was very tedeous and time consuming. It was just the factor that you had to watch where you placed the paint just for the fact that it could hit the surface that was all ready painted. Turns out I did hit the top one time and we have to do a few touch ups, but other then that he is BEAUTIFUL and I am very excited for you to see the out come!!

After this was done Cindy and I headed to head qaurters to check her emails. There is alot of volunteer work with the police that was asked from her in the emails and she asked for me to take part in this and I am so thrilled and excited ! I cannot wait to do this, I am getting my name out here and that is a big thing for me. I want to work with halton when I am older !

annmarie

Monday April 30th

Annmarie got to do the greatest job the today!! No... just joking. All the tables needed a good cleaning and guess who got to do that, me ! I guess from the previous program there had been marks left over on the chairs and the desks that needed to be removed. There is this special cleaner that is used to specifally clean the tops of multi purpose surfaces. So I got to clean all the desks and chairs in the class. Never would I have thought that they could be so hard to clean. I did this for about 2 hours, mind you it was a time consuming job. After this Cindy was attimet about getting me to use the phones. This is something I am not that comfortable with using yet and Cindy was understanding of that, so what she did was ask me to observe. I felt really comfortable with this decision and I felt confident that I could do this the next time I was asked. This is a new skill for me , I enjoy working with people and doing things in person rather than over the phone. But I feel now that I can do this !! What do you know... I learn something new here everyday! Sir, I just wanted to say that the people here make it alot easier for me and I really do appreciate their patience !

annmarie

MY WONDERFUL WEEK !

Wow what can I say? This week has basically been a blurr for me. I am having a hard time believing that this is all happening to me. Never in my life have I recieved so much. I have always had to work hard to support my family. My dad is mentally ill and we lost everything a few years ago, my family and I were homeless for a few months and I had basically been to hell and back. Finally we got a house and my father had a few relapses and I had to call the police on several occasions, I was fascinated by the work that they did, I knew from then on this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life . I was just amazed at how they could control a situation that seemed almost impossible to solve. Ever since then I have had this drive. But in that time my mom and I took care of things, other then most teens I had and still do have alot of resposiblities. I work, help pay for bills and groceries, pay for gas and do things not alot of teens are faced to do. I took care of my family, while still managing to obtain good grades in school. When I got my tuition a few weeks ago I told Cindy and the other officers I could not afford to go. They all know how much I want to become a police officer and saw that drive in me and they were not going to let me stay out of school. So they called and set up this scholarship for me and honest to god I am in shock. Life has been hard for me and I am having a hard time believing that life is starting to turn around, it is incredible. FINALLY I GOT MY G2! This is one step closer to becoming a police officer and if I wanted to I could actually apply for a cadet position with peel but I think I am too young and I want the education too! Life is amazing, I am finally awake in my dream. I just love it here so much .. I have gained so much confidence here and I am so greatful , more so then before I never thought police officers would go as far as they did for me... I am just shocked but so greatful!!

officer lavecchia

Integratiom day ! blah

Sir... no offence but I would much rather be at my co op then at school. I love being there and around the people I work with. The time goes alot by so much faster! But today was integration day and we did some work. It was actually not that bad at all. We did some work in the book and talked a little about our co op placements and certain aspects of it. I am not trying to sound cocky or anything but I love to talk about it. I feel really comfortable talking infront of a class doing what I love most and it comes easily to me . It feels right in a sense. Throughout the few weeks that I have been there I have been able to take pictures with my family :) . I got to show some of the other students in the class and they all thought they were really cool. It is awesome and I love to share this wonderful experience with everyone else !!

officer lavecchia

Thursday , a new change !!

This thursday was a new change for me. Today I went for my G2. I was a little nervous to be honest. But I remembered that this was one step closer to becoming a police officer. I decided to take my test in Burlington due to that fact that it is alot closer to the police station. And guess what, I got it on the first attempt which is incredible! I then went to co op and I was there by myself for about 45 minutes. I got to take my test a little ealier so I was at my co op a little earlier then expected. I fished the elephant today. I added a a black coat on the back today! It looks really good. It almost looks professional and I am really excited and thrilled of the outcome. Cindy came back at around 12 10 and she walked in and was waiting for me to respond and I held out my paper and she started to jump and hug me! Later on Brenda arrived and Cindy said that Annmarie has something to tell you. So I showed her the paper and she was jumping and hugged me. She told me that this was one step closer to becoming a police officer. Closer to 3:00 Jodi came in and she sat beside me and we talked again and she just kept on saying she could not believe all this good stuff is happening to me, it is incredible, but she told me I deserved it all after all I had been through. And then Jodi gave me a huge hug, as always. Then it was time to go, mom had arrived... but wait I can drive now !


office lavecchia

wednesday !! photocopying!!

Ok so here are a few pictures, from the top left that is jodi, she is like my second mom and one of my best friends. Bruse is on the right her is like my dad and makes me laugh sooo much, Cindy is the middle picture and she is honest to God the most incredible person I have met, again she is like a mother figure to me! And in this bottom picture is Laurel and Brenda the most best and funniest !! This is my second family and I love them all to death.

I am so proud of myself ! I can actually use one of those really big photocopiers . I have to say this is a big accomplishment for me . To be honest I am not that great with technology like that but I suprised myself I caught on really fast. What I was doing was photocopying court briefs for a court date. I am not allowed to talk about the case due to confidentiality. But I can say the photocopying was a highlight of my day, it got boring at times but to be able to learn something and be able to accomplish something I thought I could not before is so incredible.





I have some pictures of the people that mean soo much to me. These people continue to help me grow and push me to exceed my own limits. They make me who I am today and I cannot thank them enough.. this is my family and I love them so very much!





officer lavecchia

The BESTEST day of my life!!!

I can honestly say I had the most incredible day of my life. I cannot believe that people would be willing to do half of the stuff they did for me. Today I got in and Cindy was like I have news... and I thought it was something bad but everyone was like Annmarie do not open anything until I get into the room. I was kind of worried about what was going to happen but all the sudden I see Cindy tear up . My heart started to jump, as I open the envelop and I see a cheque drop to the floor ... I read the letter and it is from the optimist club, they raise money so that they can give it away to deserving people. Cindy knew I was in need of money for college, I was not able to afford it. So she went and did this for me and I cried so much I had 500 dollars given to me. This was so incredible... but this was not all. A few minutes later on Cindy got a call back from the optimist club. They want to do more. One of the police officers who teaches at Humber college found out about me and my credentials and wants to do more for me. He wants to set up a full scholarship for both my years and pay for my transportation. I fell to the floor crying, this has been my dream, my life for many years. I have been to hell and back , life has not been easy for me and money has been hard to obtain . This is a blessing to me ... I am greatful and I am free to do what I want to be doing for the rest of my life. All the police officers and Cindy were in tears. Jodi was hugging me and telling me how proud she was and I was and still am in shock. These people have a special place in my heart and I love them all very much, never in my life did I think this was going to happen to me and I am just truly honored and touched. Now more then ever I am going to achieve my dream, my ambitions. Now I have more of a reason to work with Halton than any other police force!! I just think what if it was not for my co op, what happens if I did not meet Cindy, and then I remember.. things happen for a reason.

the future officer lavecchia

The sign is COMPLETE!!

Cindy got to take the sign home this weekend and to be honest it looks INCREDIBLE !! What her husband did was cut out elmer and sanded down the sides , so it looks pretty professional and it is really amazing !Today what I did was place another top coat just to get any missed spots that were not painted. What I noticed was that the sign stood out a lot more with a second coat, bringing it to life. It looks as if we got the sign professionally made. I am having a great amount of fun working on this project and I am extremely enthused that I was chosen to take part on this legacy I am going to leave behind! Everyone loves this sign and admires the work that I do... what more could I ask for ?

officer lavecchia

my week

This week was amazing for me. I have never been so suprised. Never have I felt so welcomed in my life. This week I got close with alot of the police officers and I am so happy. It also felt really wondeful to know what Jodi thought of me on my first day. She mentioned that she had never seen a co op student fit in so well, and one that was outgoing and got along with everyone. It was an honor and she means so much to me. On the other hand I have been given opportunities that I would have never been given before. Bruce another police officer wants me to talk at a parent night about cyber bullying , a topic that I have experience on and I think I could benefit others. Bruce could have asked someone else to do this, but he chose me and it means alot, I think it might be the relationships I have with everyone. I always remember to talk to everyone and no matter what always smile, and it has brought me a long way.

As for Cindy she has got me a long way. She has helped me in so many ways. I have gotten to work on this sign and I am going to be leaving a legacy at the village which means so much. she knows of my pontential and keeps pushing me. I know I can do anything with her support. I was also really suprised and shocked that she would be willing to look into scholarships for me. Cindy is like a second mother to me and she watches over me. Through out my co op she continues to include the aspect of policing which is important to me, I am really glad she incorporates this aspect. This experience keeps getting better and better and the relationships I have with everyone touches my heart. I love it here, I love the jobs I do , I love the people I work with!!

officer lavecchia

Friday!!! Cleaning again

The wheather was so nice today and Cindy and I did alot of cleaning around the village. The windows were in need of a good cleaning. So Cindy and I finished our lunches and went outside. We started to clean the windows at Petro Canada and then worked our way around the buildings. Cleaning all the windows was alot of work and I would have never imagined that amount of dirt being on the windows. It was pretty gross but thats what happens over a few months. As we were making our way around to the other buildings we noticed that the bus windows were open. Cindy was very concerned due to the fact tha someone could be coming in and out of the village. Her and I were trying to figure out if there were any footprints or anything else but nothing could be found. So on monday Cindy is going to talk to our Sargeant, Brian Carr, just to make him aware of what is going on. On top of that one of the buildings has some diplays in it and Cindy knows I like to paint and she casually said I would love it if you could fix this and why not ... so I think on monday everything is going to be fixed and taken care of!

They days slowly came to a wind down and Cindy filled out my time sheet and mentioned that this week was very busy but still very productive , and I am so proud to be a part of this experience !

thursday

Today my job at was to finish Elmer the Elephant. Everytime I would finish a section it would just keep getting better and better. When I started to add the grey that sign really came together, it truly brought the sign to life. Everytime one of the officers would walk by they woulc always be like " Annmarie it looks incredible!". It is really awesome and I mean it looks professional too. Cindy is going to take it home over the weekend ,her husband has a skill saw and is going to cut it out.Next monday I think I am going to be placing a second coat on it, just to get any missing spots and to touch up. After this is done we are going to outline it with a permanent black marker. I am extremely excited to see the outcome.

During the time I was painting Cindy had to go to head quarters. While she was gone Jodi came in and started to talk to me. And she asked if I had watched American Idol, I said no but I knew where she was going with this. Everyone says I look like jordan , one of the contestants. Jodi started to laugh and her and I got talking. She asked why I wanted to be a police officer, and I talked to her and told her my life story and how I want to be that individual to mend a situation that seems impossible to fix. She then started to cry and she told me that she saw herself in me when she wanted to become a police officer. And she said she has never seen a co op student so outgoing and talkative before and she really admired that, finally she was still crying and gave me the biggest hug and said I was going to make a great police officer and that if I wanted to work with halton that I could do so. On top of that Cindy knows I am having a hard time with money and paying for school. She knows that the optimist club offers a scholarship and Cindy knows of my credentials and my honors and decided to call. They took my name and school down and are wanting to get in contact. I am really excited and thrilled, she knows how much I want this and just to know that someone is willing to go that far for me is very touching !

annmarie aka officer lavecchia

Painting Elmer!

Elmer was all drawn out and needed to be painted. When I came in today Dan had already started to paint and it looked amazing. I was really impressed by the work he did. When I started painting it started coming all together. Every time I would stop painting a section I would be so excited because it looked amazing. Bruce and Jodi had arrived back at the station from teaching class and they saw the sign and were so pleased with it, they told me a I did a great job. Then Brenda and Laurel arrived and they both said I was going to leave a legacy at the village and that touched my heart. I love being here soooo much. On the other hand the paint had gotten to my head a little bit and Cindy and Bruce noticed and told me to stand outside. And I did, the fresh air helped a lot and Bruce then came to check up on me. It took a few minutes but it helped and I am glad they noticed.

On a good note I got to take a few pictures with everyone today. Bruce and Jodi were the first and they made me laugh! Jodi put her arm around me and Bruce was drawing picture behind us. Then I took a picture with Cindy. Throughout the time I was painting Cindy and a few officers took some pictures of me. Later on when Laurel and Brenda arrived I took a few pictures with them and they acted like little children , they pushed me and on top of that Laurel was making funny faces.. I could not keep a straight face, I am pretty sure some of the pictures are a little weird looking. I love working with the people I do, I wish all the students could be given the opportunity I have. I feel that everyone should feel this comfortable.


p.s- Bruce is doing a parent night on May 14 on the topic of internet bullying and different websites that are used. He asked me to talk to the parents about these sites and how accessible it is to young people and s. I accepted this offer and I am really excited. Bruce is like a dad to me and I would do anything in a heartbeat. I am honored , he could have picked Dan, but he picked me and I am so greatful!

Tuesday...clean up time !

Cindy and I are starting to prepare for the next classes starting at the village next week. The grade three program, also know as the bike safety program is starting up and we are getting ready to work a fair amount. Her and I noticed that the village needed a great amount or work to be done. What her and I did was did a little cleaning outside to make the road conditions outside a little more safe. Cindy and I noticed was that the roads had a lot of debris left on the street from fall and the winter. We went out and cleaned the streets picked up wood chips, due to the fact that children riding their bike could potentially wipe out. It took a little while but we did have a lot of progress.

I was also not having one of the greatest days either. I had just received my tuition in the mail and I was extremely worried I was not going to be able to afford. Cindy reassured me that everything was going to be ok. She is so comforting and she gave me a lot of alternatives for my post secondary education. I felt much better talking to her. I love them very much !

officer lavecchia

monday april 16..wow times flies

Today was the day to take on ELMER THE ELEPHANT ! Oringinally, I was going to draw him by hand, but one of the officers mentioned that it would be much easier if we just projected the image onto the wall and traced it onto the wood. So Cindy and I went to head quaters to get a overhead and we brought it back to the village. I laughed so hard because Cindy did not think that we needed to put the image onto a tranparency, so she place the image onto the overhead projecter thinking it would work. Brenda, officer Fraser and I were laughing so hard. But I had an idea, we usually tend to keep the pedestrian saftey maps in a sealed plastic cover to keep the maps intact from the rain or snow. Cindy had a few extra so I decided to use this to trace the image of Elmer. I then transfered the image on to the over head projector. It was alot easier for me to do so. Here I am tracing this HUGE elephant on this sheet of wood. It took about 45 minutes to complete the whole drawing, but it looks incredible and Cindy would not stop thanking me!

On the other hand ... I showed Bruce I could juggle he was soo happy !! However I have to teach him how to do a hick dance.. it is going to be a challenge since he falls laughing everytime I so.

paceee out !

annmarie

The week!

These are the DARE cars Cindy Lawrence Officer Carla Draper

I think I talked about this is a earlier blog but this week Cindy tried her very best to get me on the phones. This is an aspect that I know I have to improve on , and to be honest I am not looking foward in doing so. I am a little scared that I am going to mess up and I do not want to do that, if anything I want to impress her because it will mean so much if I did. Personally I just hate doing things over the phone but I know I will have to do it one day. It may sound wierd but I am fine at work but when I am at my co op I guess I feel a little nervous because I do not want to ruin anything or make an incorrect appointment. However Cindy makes me feel so comfortable and reassures me I can do this, so I feel confident that I can do this!

This week was really awesome , I am getting closer with all of the police officers as well as Cindy. On Friday when we had that meeting and I heard that the police officers all wanted to take me to teach DARE along with them I felt honoured. It is nice to know that they truly care. This week I found that I am getting along with them and actually talking with them. I find it alot easier on me being able to have conversations and I do not feel as intimidated by them, they are just people like us. For example ,Bruce, he taught me how to juggle this week, and Mary talked a little bit about her previous jobs and her and I will talk about situations I have now , almost like talking to my best freind and I love it. Lastly Cindy is so great, she is very patient and if I ever have any questions or concerns she is always there to help. She never judges me and it is so wonderful to have the relationships that I do. I love it here and I do not want it to end.

P.S I FINALLY HAVE PICTURES!!

officer lavecchia

Friday !

Police day is only a few weeks away and Cindy and I are starting to prepare for the big day. Her and Dan, the morning co op student went to Home Depot to pick up the wood for the elephant that we are going to be painting and carving out of the wood. We were discussing different ways how to draw the Elmer onto the wood, I was going to draw it out but it would be alot easier to project the image onto a wall and trace it onto the wood. Then we went over to headquarters to send a few emails and dropped of my freinds application forum for the citizens police academy. Cindy and I made are way back to the saftey village. I was a little scared , Mr grace... I was scared you might get upset again like on monday, but things went well and I was happy they did.

I was really excited that you got to meet Bruce. Bruce is like a father figure to me, out of the officers I have to say personality wise him and I are exactly alike. He is always talking to me , taking the time to teach me how to juggle or even helping me with my homework. Yes , after you left bruce taught me how to juggle and I made a pact with him that by the end of the semester I was going to juggle, but it turns out I learned over the weekend !! And Jodi, she is so nice ! I had not seen her in a few weeks and It was so nice to finally see her ... she missed me so much she hugged me. This is my family here and I love them dearly.. sorry if it gets repetative!

annmarie

Friday !

Police day is only a few weeks away and Cindy and I are starting to prepare for the big day. Her and Dan, the morning co op student went to Home Depot to pick up the wood for the elephant that we are going to be painting and carving out of the wood. We were discussing different ways how to draw the Elmer onto the wood, I was going to draw it out but it would be alot easier to project the image onto a wall and trace it onto the wood. Then we went over to headquarters to send a few emails and dropped of my freinds application forum for the citizens police academy. Cindy and I made are way back to the saftey village. I was a little scared , Mr grace... I was scared you might get upset again like on monday, but things went well and I was happy they did.

I was really excited that you got to meet Bruce. Bruce is like a father figure to me, out of the officers I have to say personality wise him and I are exactly alike. He is always talking to me , taking the time to teach me how to juggle or even helping me with my homework. Yes , after you left bruce taught me how to juggle and I made a pact with him that by the end of the semester I was going to juggle, but it turns out I learned over the weekend !! And Jodi, she is so nice ! I had not seen her in a few weeks and It was so nice to finally see her ... she missed me so much she hugged me. This is my family here and I love them dearly.. sorry if it gets repetative!

annmarie

Thursday at the village !

Well at the village today we accomplished alot within the three hours that I was there. First off Cindy informed me that I would start taking some phone calls. For me this is a new thing, but then I remembered , hey I do this at work all the time and I assosciate with costumers over the phone at least everday. I listened to the way she answered the phone and how she introduced herself. Tomorrow I will be doing this and I am a little nervous but I know I can do it. After this Cindy and I went to Headquaters , her and I had to send a few emails and get her computer recongifurated. We were here for about 30 minutes.

We then got back to the village were her and I then began counting out metals for the DARE graduation. The first semester co op students counted a total of 1309 metals. The numbers in students increased , therefore Cindy had to put and order for more metals in. Just to make sure we had to count the metals out again. Her and I counted out 1323 DARE metals. We grouped them into fifties just to make things easier on us. It was a little repetative but we got it done! At 3:00 we were done the work and Cindy left for home while I waited for my mother. Drew just got back from teaching and him and I had a conversation, it was really awesome because him and I hardly get to talk. We talked about my schooling and what I did in my spare time.. it was honeslty like talking to my dad is was great=) !

annmarie

Teaching DARE with Brenda !!

Cindy had to attend a meeting today and I was unable to attend the meeting with her. So what she decided to do was send me along with Brenda to teach a DARE class. It was so awesome! Cindy drove me to the school and we arrived at about 12 30. Brenda and I had about twenty minutes to kill so she asked if I wanted to go to Shoppers and I was like heck yes !! Brenda and I went , and it was so cool inside the police van, she had her emergency sirens in the car, a radio. While we were diving I would listen into the radio calls ... I might say they are a little confusing !
We then arrived back at 12 50 and talked for a little bit and then went into the school to teach class. It was so interesting to see how the program changed over the years. I remeber when I was studying DARE alot of the students shied away from answering questions. In this class everyone wanted to participated , I thought this was really great! It was really great to see that children cared about their future and took the time to listen.

After Brenda was done teaching the class her and I left to head back to headquaters. On the way back her and I had a conversation and we talked about why I wanted to become a police officer .I explained to her that my father was and still is sick and I was recalling times were I had to call the police . I had been amazed at how they could control a situation that seemed almost impossible to conquer. Now it was my turn to be the person in someone elses life. And to Brenda's suprise that was the same reason she became and officer. It was really cool and I was so honored to spend a day with her !

officer annmarie lavecchia

Tuesday April 10 !

Co op was interesting today, we got away from the teaching thing, well at least for a little while. What Cindy did today was inform me a little bit about certain policies the police officers had to abide to. For example I was wondering if officers were allowed to have any peircings, turns out they are not permited, however if you do they must be covered. Cindy also covered certain aspects about a warrant and the differences between them. She talked about how there is one warrant that is specifically used for an arrest and how there are ones that are in place for say perhaps something similar to a wanted listing. Then later on, Mary and Cindy informed me about pardons. Pardons are used only if crimes are minor, for instance if someone stole a lipstick from a store when they were fifteen and were now twenty six and wanted a clean record they can apply for a pardon. What this does is clean out there criminal record, no one is able to access these records not even a judge or police officer for the use of referencing. However there are only few instances where a pardoned may not be used, exempt from these situations would be murders, sexual assaults, driving under the influence i.e. I have to say it was interesting to learn about things that I would have never known before... it was nice not teaching a class all day. But ... I did have to put all the bikes away, Dan, the moning co op student cleaned all the bikes , so that left me to put all the bikes away. We are doing this to prepare for the bike safety program which begins in 3 weeks !! Wow , that is approaching fast.

I also talked with Mary again. As always she gave me advice that would greatly benefit me. She told me that being a police officer meant that you are a cop 24/7 , regardless of the fact that you might be on duty or off duty. They have a responsibility. An example she used was going out clubbing or to a bar. You cannot use you badge to get into a club , because then you are using the fact that you are a police officer to the best of your advantage. As well as say a fight were to break out and they knew you were a cop and you did nothing, your putting yourself and you career at jeopardy. So I did learn today... that you kind of have to let go of that crazy life style one would have or you got to say "you know what I am going to keep what I do to myself to benefit me" . Know I understand why they like to hire older and more mature individuals .I think Iwill take what I learned to the future with me !

future officer alav !

The week !!!

Wow, what can I say. I love it here so much! I cannot even describe how much I love it, when I am there I am happy and I am always smiling.. it hurts. The people make the experience worth while. The officers and Cindy are incredible people. No matter what they always take the time to say hello and find out how I am doing. It is really wierd... it is like I am talking to one of my best freinds rather than a police officer or my co op supervisor and I really appreciate that.

It was really sad. I was waiting for my mother to come pick me up and Brenda and Cindy were waiting with me. And all of the sudden Cindy just said ... ten weeks ... and I froze! I do not want this to come to an end, I love it so much, however I know all goods things come to an end and I have to embrace this experience and honor it for what it was and how much it means to me. This experience is making me grow as an individual and making me more able to do anything it is I want to accomplish !

officer alav !

ok .. the last class :|

Ok ... so .. TODAY WAS MY LAST CLASS !! This was my very last kindergarden class. I had alot of fun teaching the class. The students were very sweet and I got along really well with them all. It was really wierd too, the teacher of the class , Mrs Fabian, knew who I was . To be honest at first I had no idea who she was. But then she started to talk about her daughter and how she is going to school to study to become a nurse. And then it hit me ... oh my goodness JESSICA FABIAN!!! It was so cool because I work with her , she was also in my biology class !! It is so wierd , the world is so small.

It was also the last day before the weekend .. the Easter weekend. It was really awesome, all the officers knew I gave up chocolate for lent so when I walked into my placement I found a note on the desk that said ... To Annmarie, from the easter bunny!It was so cute, they are my second family and I love them all dearly !!

officer alav

Wednesday! shopping ?

It was kind of cool today !! Cindy and I went " Window Shopping" for Police Day. Police Day is basically a day where the police get involved with the public and kind of give them a look at what police officers do and how their work contributes for the better of the community. On this day Cindy will be allowing the public to come into the safety village to get a first hand look at what she does and also giving the younger children a chance to test drive the cars !! So her and I went window shopping to get some prices for this day. What she wants to do is build a sign that shows the height requirement needed for entrance. She and I looked for paint and wood to create the sign. It was honestly really cool to spend some time with her outside of class, she is so down to earth and I love her to death !

It was also really cool, her and I got to take out and inspectors car in order to go shopping. And to be honest it was so cool. The car had police lights in them, but Cindy would not turn them on...bumer. Well it was still really cool getting out and doing something different for a change

annmarie

Tuesday was so cute and amazing ! April 3 :)

Today we had a class. Ironically we had classes that we cancelled from earlier on. So we taught a class once more. I put all the energy I had into this class and it went well. In the end someting really cute happened. The kids have never seen a police officer before, and strange enough laurel ( Constable Barnet ) had no parking spots ,so she parallel parked infront of the saftey village. The children were in awe, it was so cute to see them smile. Laurel was in shock and it was funny to see her reaction.

Also I wanted to say that I LOVE CINDY!! She is honestly such an inspirational figure to me and I could not imagine my life without her. She wrote so many nice things about me in my PPLP and I was amazed , and she just answered and said you have worked hard for it and smiled and hugged me. I started to cry because it honestly means so much to me and honestly I cannot picture life without her and this incredible co op experience !

officer lavecchia

Monday April 2nd

I did not go to my co op today, Cindy was sick =(

alav

my weekly journal !

Ok first and foremost !! I AM SO SAD I DO NOT HAVE KINDERGARDEN CLASSES ANYMORE!!! I love to teach these classes , the students are so sweet and so kind! This program will be missed. This week was a great week for me, I was really proud of myself, every week I notice improvement. I get more involved with the teachings and with the students. The children crave attention, they love to have someone to look up to and someone that will listen to them. I always make sure to tell them what a great job they did or compliment them on the new rules they learned. Only yesterday I remember starting the program with Cindy and now we are preparing for the new program , the bike safety ,which starts in May ! We have lots to do now in order to prepare for these classes !

Now as for my relationships with the police officers. I can't say I love one ..becuase I love them all. Each one has helped me and benefited me and I cannot thank them enough. Jodi is so sweet to me, she makes me feel at home ,and Mary is ALWAYS giving me advice on my policing career and Pam ... we just started talking and she is so nice! I was so scared of everyone but to be honest they are all my second family and I love them all very much !!

officer lavecchia !!

Intergration day march 30

Today was our inclass.. I would much rather be at my co op, personally I just hate being in class all day. In class we did not do that much. Basically we talked about how more students need to be on time with handing time sheets in and other things that are of importance to the course. For the second half of the class what we did was an introduction to the class on what we did at our co op. It was really exciting to talk about my co op and share to others what I do. It was also interesting to see what others were doing at their co op's. To be honest I am kind of glad this thing only happens once a month, cause I am sure happy to be back at my placement !

annmarie

My last class for kindergarden class !

It was so sad to know that this would be my last kindergarden class. I put all my energy into this class and I think I did the best I could. This was my last day to shine, and I did. The class was a little crazy but Cindy and I managed. The students were good and well behaved. It was also the first time I had special needs children in the class too. To be honest I had not problems with them and they we so kind and had great manners ... I wish all the kids were like that ! I also started talking with the EA and she told me her grandaughter was interested in becoming a police officer and I gave her some advice and some pointers. It feels so nice that people look up to you and ultimately admire the work you do. For one last time I did the take down for the kindergardem program, and I was a little sad.. kinda worried for the grade three program. Cindy was telling me that this program requires a little more discipline and authority. It should be interesting, but I am excited for a new change.

Also this was my last day here before the weekend and it is my birthday on the thirtyfirst and all the officers knew. In my first blog I remember saying how much I hated the first day, but they were all just joking around. They are my family strange enough , Pam and I talk more and she is so nice and is a great listener, and Jodi , I remember my first day she made a comment and I was so intimidated by her. But today she came running down the stairs and said " HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE" , and she gave me the biggest hug ever ! It was so nice , and Cindy she is always so kind to me and always helps me and encourages me to do better or to push myself to go that extra mile and I could not ask for anything more. Mr Grace I am truly honoured to be doing my co op here !

peace out !
officer lavecchia

Wednesday!!

My time at the village is flying by so fast. I wish it would slow down at times. Today was my second last class, it was sad. I have gotten to know the children and the program so well I do not want it to end. But all good things come to an inevitable end. Today we had 28 students, so again it was a little slow but it was really cool. I got to meet Sue, she used to work teaching DARE in our unit. Now Sue is a detective and works with young offenders at 20 divison, which ironically s right beside my house! It was great to talk to her and get her views on the work she does.

After class was done I did the lock up which inlcudes locking all doors, shutting down the traffic lights and rewinding the video that we use in class. One more class to go ...and to be honest I am sad it is coming to an end.

officer lavecchia

Tuesday the 27th !

Today co op was not that exciting as other days. This is the last week of the Kindergarden safety program, so this is the last of our classes until our bike safety program,which starts in April. todays class was small, we only had a total of 17 students today. It was a really quiet class and to be honest, I have to agree with Cindy it is easier to teach a larger class. I just find that you get more involved in a larger group, as well as you are more interactive with the students , where as to a small group there is not as much interaction. This program with the younger children had been incredible, and has opened me to more options in policing. I am really interested in that maybe after my five years of being a police officer I would like to teach the safety program. You are a role model for the children and you are still a police officer , which is something I love doing with all my heart !

So far I have gained so much from co op. I have learned how to manage my time wisely, and this is going to sound wierd but I have gained something I never thought I would and that is bravery and courage. Never would I have done these things before , for example me working as hard as I can to get my drivers liscence, or appyling to become an auxillary officer. This experience has given me the determination and mind to make important and critical descisions that will help me in the near future, and I cannot wait !!

officer lavecchia

Monday the 26 was SO AWESOME

Today was a good day! It was rather slow though, due to weather conditions classes were cancelled. When ever there is a thunderstorm classes are usually cancelled. So Cindy and I headed off to head quarters today. We went dock the computer today and there was an internal problem within the computer. Cindy and I then went downstairs to see the tech people... which I might add are brainers at what they do which is incredible. In the mean time while we were waiting for him I had noticed a uniform hanging on the coat hanger where all the other officers keep there coats. It said auxillary on the sleve, so I asked Cindy what it was. Basically they a volunteer police officers and work at events that need extra help with patrolling, when they are needed they are sent out. The only thing is they do not have a gun. In order to carry a gun you must be a full officer. I was extremely interested so I asked Cindy and she told me to get an application, and I did. So now that I am eighteen years of age I can apply to be an auxillary officer!! I have to go through a physical, mental, and written test as well as several interviews. I plan on getting this position and I am going to work as hard as I can to get where I want to go... I think the actuall officer thing might come into use alot earlier than expected !!

officer lavecchia

The week .. in general !

I was really proud of myself ! This week was a little difficult at times for me , but I pulled through . Here at my co op I feel like I am at home. This week I felt as if I could do anthing and I was really happy with myself . I noticed a great improvement. Working with the children came alot easier to me I just let things flow. Also I noticed that being really happy influenced the interaction with the chidren! It was incredible to see how they live off your personality.

Also this week was awesome in the terms of doing things ! I got into the peace program, it is basically a civilian officer program , teaching the community about a career in policing , every little aspect of it. I will be doing this for three months. I love my co op Mr Grace, I know I say it all the time and your probabley sick of hearing it, but I am amazed at how far one person is willing to go for me in order to achieve my dream. In life I have always had to work for myself and no one else got me anywhere but myself, I am just shocked that I have someone doing what ever she can in her power to get me where I want to go and I cannot thank her enough, Cindy is truly a role model to me and I cannot thank her enough!

annmarie

friday le 23

Thank god it's friday !! I always like the tgif thing to be personal, no seriously it was a nice break from having those high numbered classes. Today was the last class before the weekend and it was alot easier today. We still had a high number of students but I found as the week went on I was comfortable and able to participate with no problems. And the students we great !!

After we finished teaching I talked to Mary , the other DARE officer. Her and I got talking again and she gave me some helpful pointers that I think will be extremely benefitial to me in the future. She told me to get a job at wonderland working as a securtiy guard, Mary mentioned it is great experience and you learn alot on the job which could help me in becoming a police officer. I really do appreciate and admire the work that she does, along with the other police officers. I just think it is incredible !

officer lavecchia !

Interesting Day ...Learned alot

Today I Had a class of 70 students , again it was a little difficult at first. It was good though ,I made it through and the students were awesome today ! Everday gets alot easier with these larger numbers. I have noticed that few times I have had to be the authoritative figure to keep the students in control. But other then that the class was awesome!

After class I talked to Mary, I mentioned her in my other blog the other day. She is new police officer in the DARE unit. She loves what she does and she gave me some insight on her policing career, like today, I never knew that police officers teaching DARE were allowed to issue tickets , they are still enforcing the law even though they are teaching classes. She also talked to me about how she still goes to court and testifies and does other things according and pertaining to her career. Mary also talked about her previous encounters on the job , which I might say are very sad and upseting. But it is so cool to talk to her and hear her presepctive !

officer lavecchia

68 STUDENTS :O

Today was a little hard for me. I am the afternoon co op student, so usually I tend to have the smaller classes . Where as to Dan , the morning co op student had the larger bunch almost all the time, he has the experience teaching larger classes. I am still getting use to it. Honestly I thought it was alot easier , your more preoccupied and you do not get bored. I noticed and improvement in myself over this past week, I have become more involved with the students. The students are so sweet , I have gotten alot of hug this week, I think it is so cute , and I love being that influential figure in their lives. And to be honest it is getting easier as the weeks go on! And Cindy is such an influential figure, she knew it was going to be a little difficult for me this week but she encouraged me that everything was going to work out for the best ! I cannot thank her enough !

Pace out !

annmarieee

March 21!! THE BEST CLASS EVER !!

Today was a great day !! This must have been my favourite class !! The students were absolutely incredible !!! This class came from St. Dominics. The teacher was very organised and she was very patient with her students. She showed compassion and encouraged them when they did not do something the correct way. I was amazed at the amount of power she had over the class. I also found it really nice that she asked where I was going to school, what I wanted to do later on in life, it just meant alot that she took the time to get to know the co op student, me as a person. I have to say that I loved to teach the class with Cindy, I felt so happy in doing so !

signing out for tonight !!!

officer lavecchia !

First day back from march break !

The first day back was really easy for me! The class I had today was the smallest I have ever had. There was only a total of 8 students in the class, it was really easy. But to be honest it was kind of boring. The class was so quiet, I am so used to having a loud class. However it was nice to come back and not have that great amount of work to do. So it was sort of and ease into this week. And to be truthful I missed Cindy so much !

Over the break we also had a new police officer come into our unit. Her name is Mary, she has been a police officer for only 5 years. She worked in peel for her first five years, she then transfered over to Halton Regional Police Service where she is more content. You can tell she is a little shy, I mean it is her first time teaching the program... she is still getting the hang of things. I am sure in time she will be as open as the other officers.

annmarie !!!

My third week !!

This week was awesome. I can honestly say I love my co op I go there and I feel like I am at home. Cindy is such an inpirational figure and she always encourages me to do better, she never yells and she is very patient.Here I am so comfortable , this is my second home. Also the relatioships I have developed with the police officers is incredible. I was a little intimidated before but now they are like family, Bruce is a Constable but he is like a father figure, he and I will always talk to me and he will tell me about his encounters or give me awesome advice on being a teenager in todays society.Jodi and Laurel are the jokesters of them all, they are always teasing Cindy and I and always talking about encounters over the past which is really cool. Brenda was are acting sargeant but that is not in place anymore due to the fact that she has to start teaching her DARE classes, we are still waiting for a sargeant to obtain this position. Brenda is awesome she is like a mom, she is always giving me advice and when I threw my back out from my fall at home she was telling me what I should do and helping me , along with Cindy with any lifting that had to be done. And last but not least Drew and Pam , they are really shy and quiet , but when I do have the chance to talk to them they are really nice and I see alot of me in them, personality wise. It is so wierd I have been here for only a short period of time but I feel like I have been doing this my whole life and I cannot wait to be living out my dream and actually working as a police officer.

On the other hand this week was a little crazy , I was getting the bigger classes. It was a little harder for me. I usually tend to get the smaller classes which have a head count of about twenty to thirty children. This week I had between forty to fifty children which at times was a little difficult but I did get the hang of it. What made it alot easier was that Cindy reassured me that I could do it and that it would be no different then any other class. And I did do it. I was really proud of myself, but honestly it was with a little encouragement that I did what I was suppose to and I cannot thank Cindy enough. Over these past few weeks I have become a more independent individual ... I feel that I can do anything and this drive to become the indivdual I want to be in the near future is so cool...which come to think of it , it is only a few years away and I cannot wait I am so excited to become a police officer!!

p.s/ come to think of it I actually miss being at my co op and I cannot wait for march break to be over and done with !

have a good march break Mr Grace!

officer alav aka annmarie