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PROSPECT — Almost every person who enters Barb Putorti's classroom at Moraine Elementary School for the first time is taken aback by the decor.
“Usually they are just in awe,” Putorti said.
Lining the walls are several hundred police uniform patches. The patches, and various other memorabilia, have been given to the school by departments from all over the world.
Putorti, who has been teaching fourth grade for 27 years at Moraine, said her classes started collecting the patches and putting them on her wall about 20 years ago.
The collecting complements the curriculum in multiple ways.
One skill fourth graders learn is writing letters. So twice a year the students will pen a letter addressed to a police department somewhere in the world. The students introduce themselves, explain the ongoing collection and politely request an officer from the department write back and send a patch.
The project also teaches geography because many of the patches are placed on where they came from on a large map of the United States.
Each year the school receives between 75 and 100 patches, totaling about 2,700 total over the years with no duplicates.
Many of the patches have been donated to different police departments. The State Police barracks in Butler has multiple framed displays with patches.
The majority of police departments that get the letters seem to like the idea.
“Most of them write a real nice letter back and send a patch,” Putorti said.
In some cases, the letter creates a connection between the officer and the classroom.
A West Virginia prison warden was so enthusiastic about the program he arranged a conference call during which he answered one question from each student about his job and life at a prison.Another year a deputy sheriff in Florida set up the class as pen pals with a boy he knew who was living with cystic fibrosis.The patch collecting also helps the students learn about the police.“Kids need to know that we wouldn't be safe without police officers,” Putorti said. “I want them to get a feel for police officers and what they go through each day.”Moraine Principal Matt Lafko said the collection and Putorti's program are great teaching tools.“In my 21 years of being in education, it's definitely one of the most unique classrooms I've ever seen,” Lafko said.The patches can be used to teach history, math and English skills, while the interactions with law enforcement helps the students have positive role models and complements the school's anti-bullying campaign, he said.Putorti lives in Slippery Rock borough, though her family lived in Greenville, Mercer County, for many years where they raised cattle. She said she doesn't have any family members who are police officers, but thinks people should show appreciation for what they do.In light of recent current events, police have been heavily criticized, but there needs to be voices supporting them too, Putorti said.“People are starting to talk back. It's not all of them that are bad, most of them are good,” she said.
