School Resource Officer builds relationships through greenhouse

Not only do the School Resource Officers (SRO) at North Allegheny’s high schools add additional safety and security to the building, but they also serve as mentors and work to build relationships with students on a daily basis.

At the beginning of the school year, North Allegheny Intermediate High School’s SRO Mike Metzger discovered that the greenhouse in the building wasn’t very green and needed some TLC. Officer Metzger teamed up with Special Education Assistant Lori Murphy and began working with students to fix up the greenhouse while teaching them how to garden.

Several of the students in Jennifer Mitts’ special education class at NAI assisted Officer Metzger and Ms. Murphy with these efforts by watering the flowers each day and making sure every plant received the individualized care it needed. Additionally, students had the opportunity to grow hanging flower baskets for their moms as a special Mother’s Day gift.

The majority of the plants grown in the greenhouse this school year are now being transferred and planted in the building’s courtyards for all students and staff members to enjoy.