Officer Phil Program Celebrates 40th Anniversary at Cape May Elementary

CAPE MAY – In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the Officer Phil Program is excited to present their 2015-2016 programs to Cape May City Elementary School this year.  The Officer Phil Program will focus on important safety topics.  Armed with catchy slogans, magic and fun, the “Edu-tainer” will energize and engage the audience in a way that makes staying safe the cool thing to do.  For the children’s enjoyment, Officer Phil’s pal, Buddy the Bulldog, will be stopping by to help teach some of the lessons.
Stranger Awareness is covered each year during the presentation and this year is no different. The first illustration will review three important rules the children should follow if they are approached by a stranger. For this illusion, each rule will be represented by a different sized rope. The short piece of rope will remind the students that ‘if you don’t know, you don’t go’ and always ask permission before going with anyone you do know. The medium piece of rope will remind students to ‘run and yell’ if a person is bothering them. Last, the long piece of rope will remind the students to ‘tell’ a grownup they know and trust what happened as soon as they are safe. When the ropes are put together, they magically become equal in length to illustrate that all of the ropes, like all of the rules, are equally important in keeping children safe from strangers.
Next, the Edu-tainer will talk about School Safety through a demonstration of linking rings. While it is important for children to be safe when they are at home or in the community, it is also important for them to be safe when they are at school. Topics such as respect, following school rules, what to do in an emergency, and being ready to learn will be discussed. When the Edu-tainer links the rings together through magic, they will exemplify that in order to make school and the community a safe place, everyone needs to come together in a ‘joint’ effort.
As mentioned earlier, Officer Phil’s special pal this year is Buddy the Bulldog. Equipped with a few jokes of his own, he will talk to the children about what it means to be a kid of character and to think about the well-being of others. Buddy will share his knowledge about the topic of bullying and the hurt that it causes. He will also discuss the importance of responsible reporting—students will be encouraged to talk to a teacher, parent, police officer, or another adult they trust if they or someone they know are being bullied.
A final review of all the safety lessons taught will happen at the end of the program when the children participate in a trivia game. The children will be divided into two teams and given different scenarios based on the lessons they learned during the assembly. Together the children will have lots of fun coming up with the right answers.
The program will close with Buddy singing a song that will sum up his safety message. Following the presentation, each student will receive an activity book, compliments of the local business community, to reinforce the lessons taught in the program. The show, activity book and online resources will give teachers and parents the tools for future lessons or discussions so the safety messages can continue in the classroom and at home.
The Cape May City Elementary School and the Officer Phil Program would like to thank all of the participating businesses in the community who made the program possible.