Today, I had the pleasure of interviewing the new Director of Safety and Security, Michael Couture.
Mr. Couture served the Thornton Police Department for the past 25 years. He did S.W.A.T. and undercover work. Until ultimately moved to be a school resource officer.
Before coming to Holy Family, Mr. Couture worked at Stargate Charter School and a couple of other schools. He was a school resource officer there, as well as a coach for XC.
I asked Mr. Couture what inspired him to be a school resource officer. “For one, I retired; I also just loved working in the schools and having fun with all of the kids.” He also explains this: “I felt like I made more of an impact than just arresting you Friday night, you’re back on Saturday doing the same stuff.” He talks about how sometimes he runs into old students with families, and they still thank him for making such a difference in their lives.
When I asked Mr. Couture why he came to Holy Family, he explained, “I told him when I got hired on my biggest goal was to bring the role of an SRO that you guys don’t have, someone you feel that you can tell important things to.”
Since Mr. Courture has never worked at a school like Holy Family, I asked him what he thinks is the most different (but good) thing about our school.
“I mean, you guys probably won’t agree with this statement, but I think the uniforms are actually cool. And it’s one of those things where I think it helps to not have other issues. Other schools have big problems with IDs, but here you guys don’t have to wear those because of the uniforms.”
He explained to me that at his old school, it’s hard to determine who belongs to the school if not everyone has an ID. So while some may have disdain for the uniforms, they actually form community and make us safer!
Mr. Couture says that everyone has been welcoming and super nice, and that our school feels like “We are all a big family.”
I’m super excited to meet a new addition to our school, and Holy Family just got 10x safer.
