A 'gunman' is apprehended Monday afternoon at Sullivan School, all part of a mock hostage taking for the benefit of the forensic science after-school program.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Sullivan School seventh-graders were given a lesson in hostage negotiation when their teacher was held by gunpoint.
The outdoor lesson in fingerprint lifting on Monday afternoon switched gears quickly when a man snuck up on science teacher James Holmes and held him at gunpoint.
But the hooded stranger holding a plastic gun was Police Lt. David Sacco, participating in mock hostage taking for Holmes' after-school forensic science class Monday afternoon.
After Sacco was apprehended by city police officer and Berkshire County Special Response Team member Tony Beverly, who arrived in the team's BearCat, he went home for a lunch break. Beverly then loaded the kids into the vehicle and gave them a lesson on hostage situations and SWAT, or "Special Weapons And Tactics," training.
Holmes teaches the 16-week program to show students another facet of applicable science.
"I think these are branches of science these kids would never be exposed to because in class, we teach life science to these seventh-graders," Holmes said. "I had kids say 'I had no idea this was even science.' "
The program is in its fourth year and although it is only two weeks in, the pupils can expect to learn about accident reconstruction, drug busts, evidence collection, and even the court system. Holmes implements tours of facilities such as the police station and district court as well as dramatizations — such as Monday's — to enhance the learning experience.
Officer Greg Onorato and Beverly not only answered student questions and showed them equipment such as police shields and battering rams, but also expressed the importance of being able to communicate with police officers.
"A mother has a kid acting up and she will say 'that police man over there will take you away if you don't stop', and that's not what we want," Onorato said. "We want kids to walk up to us. I carry stickers and candy in my bag that I give to kids so they are comfortable coming to us if there is ever a problem."
Onorato added that it is important for younger people to understand what police officers are doing when they make an arrest.
"It can be a scary thing if it happens in your neighborhood or around your house, and this helps them understand what is going on," he said. "Also, there is a lot of misconceptions of what we do based on what they say on TV, and this sort of clarifies it a little bit."
Holmes said this is a critical aspect of his class
"I want them to know that the police should be cast in a positive light because they do good things in this community. These guys are donating their time for these kids," Holmes said. "If I have 15 kids that know it, they will tell 15 other kids everything they know. That is going to be an epidemic instead of cops are just bad."
Pupil William Schrade said it was important for younger people like himself to be able to communicate with police officers
"It shows us that they take a lot of responsibility in trying to protect us even if we are trying to hurt people," Schrade said. "It's showing us that they are the same as us no matter what gear they have on, what weapon they are using, or how experienced they are they are the same as us."
Classmate Sean Demayo saw other perks to the demonstration. He felt it was good for students to explore different career paths.
"It gives kids our age a chance to get into something, and at this age we are all trying to figure out what we want to do when we grow up because that's not that far away," Demayo said. "It gives us another idea to add to whatever got in our heads."
Jack Soucie said he was inspired to maybe one day become a police officer.
"Being a cop is really cool, and I feel safer now in our city and stuff because I know how the cops work," he said.
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A 'gunman' is apprehended Monday afternoon at Sullivan School, all part of a mock hostage taking for the benefit of the forensic science after-school program.
