A golf cart-sized surprise for one SRO
A big blue bow cannot hide the smile of surprise on SRO Deputy Eric Rhymer’s face when he was gifted a new golf cart for security on American Academy’s campus.
School Resource Officer (SRO) Deputy Eric Rhymer has some new wheels to help him reach the students on the campus of American Academy (AA). The new ride will surely catch the eye; it is atypical of what one might find a sheriff’s deputy in.
This SRO can be found checking on the school kids in his new, shiny golf cart, which was anonymously given by an AA family.
“Being gifted the golf cart by an unbelievably generous family was amazing! I was truly speechless when I first saw it,” Rhymer said. “I know the gift was to show their appreciation, which it most definitely did, and I cannot thank them enough!”
Brooke Ekstrom, the office manager at the school, said while Deputy Rhymer was surprised by the generosity, she and the faculty were not surprised a bit.
“Deputy Rhymer has been a huge part of our American Academy family for more than five years and we are extremely grateful for him,” said Ekstrom. “The staff had been talking about finding him a golf cart for several months to help him patrol our large campus in Castle Pines.”
That is when a family stepped up to donate. And the kids? They love it. Often gravitating toward him and the cart to talk.
“I absolutely love being an SRO, and these kids mean so much to me. I talk to them in very much the same way I talk to my own kids,” Ryhmer explained. “If things are going well for them, I encourage and congratulate them. If they are having a tough time, I’ll sit and talk with them to see how we can resolve the situation and try to make their day better.”
Rhymer says out of the 23 years working at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, this job is hands down the best assignment he has ever had.
It is one he takes to heart. And now, thanks to a new heater in his ride, he can cruise the campus no matter the temperatures and connect with each and every student.
“I think that says a lot about the people here at American Academy – that they would do all of this for me,” Rhymer concluded.
By Karen Leigh; photos courtesy of American Academy
