By Jamie Dexter, Interim Public Information Officer for MCSO
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. – School Resource Officers of the year for the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office were named recently during a ceremony among their peers and agency leaders.
“We all have an important and difficult job, but all of you are tasked with keeping our schools and our children safe,” said Sheriff John Fuson. “You’re all worthy of being recognized.”
Sgts. Malcolm Burgess and Sue Pender, supervisors of the division, presented the awards.
“Each of you does a great job keeping your school safe and going the extra mile to make that connection with your students, and we thank you for that,” Pender said, adding that all winners were nominated by their peers and carefully selected.
Deputy Tony Bowling was named high school SRO of the year as he has been “a mentor to a lot of us, always willing to offer advice,” Pender said.
Bowling’s principals say he’s always planning for the safety of the school, communicating the importance of being prepared in the event of a crisis, and provides effective strategies for dealing with difficult situations.
Deputy Chris Montjoy was named middle school SRO of the year.
“His principals say he is loved by everyone and does a tremendous job and never complains,” Pender said. “He is very active in teaching his students and truly makes a difference in his school.”
Deputy Joseph May was awarded with elementary SRO of the year because he “always goes out of his way to make sure other officers are taken care of and challenges other officers to become better professionally.”
The principals at his schools ay that he is excellent at communication, makes them all feel safe and is always available for them.
Fuson added that he’s proud of each of these recipients, and thankful that Pender and Burgess renewed the SRO of the Year program to showcase those who go above and beyond the call of duty.