End of Watch - An Open Letter from Officer Todd to DJDS

End of Watch - An Open Letter from Officer Todd to DJDS
  • Outside the Classroom
Officer Todd Bittner
 

Officer Todd with 'Air Force One' back in September of 2016.




By Officer Todd, Director of Security 

 

I came to Denver Jewish Day School expecting to stay for one year and ended up staying for eight years. I stayed because of the way you made me feel. You made me feel appreciated, cared about, and supported - for that, I thank you!!  Most importantly, you trusted me. You trusted me with the safety of your children and yourselves – for that, I am grateful. Standing watch at DJDS was the highest honor of anything I have ever done. I will miss seeing you each day but will think of you often. Here are some of the memories I will keep forever:

 

  1. The number of times parents return to the school after drop off because their child forgot their lunch, then their jacket, then their homework, then their...FYI – the record is six times - you know who you are!!!
  2. The look on an Upper Division student’s face when they speed onto campus only to realize I am standing next to an Arapahoe County Sheriff Department Deputy holding a speed radar gun.
  3. The different stages of wakefulness some students are in when they arrive in the morning- and the parents!
  4. The look on a parent’s face after riding with their child who just received their learner’s permit.
  5. The parent that arrived late for a normal start time but realized it was a late start- and then came back late for the late start.
  6. The driver driving with a flat tire and I said, “Your car has a flat tire.” The driver said, “This isn’t my car.” I said, “Well you should be fine then.”
  7. The parent I stopped at the entrance and jokingly told that I needed a hair sample and a blood sample for identification. Without missing a beat, the parent said, “Well, I have a stool sample for you !!”
  8. The parent who stopped at the entrance and asked if I could issue the driver behind her a summons into court for speeding and reckless operation of a motor vehicle. I looked at the driver behind her and asked, “Isn’t that your husband?” She said, “Yes.”

 

Your salutes, your smiles, your friendship, your kindness – this is what I will remember most of all. When I say, “I love you,” I mean it.  You are remarkable people and I will miss you dearly.      

 

Officer Todd

End of Watch:

December 1, 2023

1600 hours

 

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