TAUNTON — Superintendent Alexandre Magalhaes is pleased to announce that Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School students attended a Boston Celtics game Monday through School Resource Officer Jayson LaPlante’s HERO (Helping Students, Education, Respect-Building, Outreach) program.
On Monday, Nov. 14, Taunton Police officers/SROs Jayson LaPlante and Casey Holmes, Assistant Principal Mark Mosher, and B-P Spanish teacher Gabrielle Paquette accompanied 22 Bristol-Plymouth Regional Vocational High School students to the TD Garden for Celtics Night with the Taunton Police.
The group got to see the Celtics defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder by a score of 126-122.
The students all participated in an essay contest and were selected from over 60 applicants to attend the game. The Boston Celtics have partnered with the Taunton Police Department to help students enjoy the NBA experience.
The students were also given a historic tour of the North End including the North Church and Paul Revere’s statue. The officers enjoyed dinner with the students at Pizzeria Regina and also treated them to dessert at Mike’s Pastry.
“Thank you to Mayor Shauna O’Connell and her office, who sponsored the HERO Program earlier this year and helped to fund student activities run by the SRO Program,” Superintendent Magalhaes said. “We also thank our partners at the Celtics for providing this opportunity for our students to connect with our school resource officers.”
Through the HERO program, Officer LaPlante seeks donations to take Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School students on memorable and engaging field trips. Through the program, more than 100 students have attended Red Sox games and more than 120 students have attended Celtics or Bruins games over the past six years.
The essays that students complete prior to attending the trips serve as a tool for Officer LaPlante to better get to know and reach more students. As SRO, he tries to identify students he feels would benefit most from the program.
Through the relationships Officer LaPlante has made with students, he has emphasized the importance of giving back and getting involved with the community. He also regularly partners with local agencies to organize food drives and holiday gift donations.
“The HERO program is a valuable way for us, as SROs, to get to know the students we serve,” Officer LaPlante said. “We hope the students enjoyed the Celtics game this week, and we look forward to continuing to offer these types of experiences through the HERO program.”
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