School resource officer lends police expertise in science class

As school resource officer at Frederick D. Thomas Middle School, Cpl. Nick Yatsko’s top priority is keeping everyone safe. In doing so, he makes it a point to be out and about in the building where students and staff can see him and talk to him regularly. Over time, Yatsko builds trust and connections with the students.

Yatsko is also a full-time police officer with the Lewes Police Department, carrying out standard law enforcement duties when school is not in session. Sharing some of his experience as a police officer, Yatsko recently spoke to students in Jennifer Bradshaw’s eighth-grade science class about the use of science in accident reconstruction. 

Discussion began with students identifying the types of things police officers will look at when they arrive at the scene of a car accident: skid marks, property damage, involved cars and debris on the road, to name a few. Yatsko then put the students to work drawing diagrams of various accident scenarios on the smartboard and tasked them with identifying what happened and who was at fault.

“Hearing Cpl. Yatsko speak about accident reconstruction really helped students see how the science we study in class, like motion, force and momentum, applies to real-world situations,” said Bradshaw. “It made the concepts come alive and showed them how science plays a critical role in problem-solving beyond the classroom and in a variety of job roles.”

“I really enjoy showing students how the science they’re learning connects to what we do in law enforcement,” said Yatsko. “Accident reconstruction is all about applying physics and critical thinking to real situations, and it’s great to see students make those connections and understand how science can be used to help others.”