Thank you for your service: GCHS student creates gift for local police department

GRUNDY CENTER – Local student, GCHS sophomore Jenna Bonorden, says if it weren’t for the Grundy Center Police Department, she would be heading down the wrong path.
 
“Last year I was struggling a lot. I’d be out late all the time, and I was kind of going down the wrong road,” Bonorden said. “One of the officers noticed that, and turned me around and helped me get back on track. A lot of kids my age, and even adults, see police as the bad guys who want to take away your freedom, but they’re people too. They have their own struggles, and even though they have their own struggles, they’re always there to help someone else who needs it. I could never thank them enough for what they’ve done for me.”
 
Bonorden says she was inspired by the officers who went above and beyond to help her, so when she was assigned a research paper for a language arts class, she decided to write about community policing.
 
For the paper, she interviewed each member of the police department, finding out what it’s like to be an officer. She even developed a mentorship with two officers, Officer Alissa Loew and Officer Justin Fox.
 
When Bonorden decided she wanted to find a way to thank the officers for everything they’ve done for her, and for the community, she decided to create a one-of-a-kind gift for the department.
 
With the help of her shop teacher Mr. Seitz and her art teacher Mrs. Sternhagen, Bonorden created a hand-painted flag out of wood. A fellow GCHS student, Alex Christie, helped her create a sticker of the GCPD emblem to adorn the flag.
 
“I just wanted to thank them for everything they’ve done, and to let them know they’re appreciated,” she said. “It takes a special kind of person to go out of their way to take care of people who care so little about their well-being.”
 
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