Anna school hosts Cookies with Cop event

Officers from three law enforcement agencies which serve the Union County area were in for a treat at Lincoln Elementary School in Anna on Thursday, Jan. 26. 

Second grade students, with the help of their teachers, honored the officers with a Cookies with a Cop event.

Ten law enforcement personnel were present from Illinois State Police District 22, the Union County Sheriff’s Office and the Anna Police Department. 

Morgan Rathjen, one of the 2nd grade teachers who organized the program, was excited to give the cops some gratitude. 

“We wanted to give back, especially with the way things are now.”

The 2nd grade teachers had been working with their classes for two weeks to put the program together. 

They read the story “Officer Buckle and Gloria” by Peggy Rathmann and made paper police hats. 

Each student also colored a sheet of paper with a word or phrase that finished the sentence: “A police officer is...” The pages were combined to create a book for each law enforcement agency.

One after another on Thursday, the students read their pages to the officers. Some said that a police officer is “friendly.” Others said a police officer is “always ready to serve.” More than one student said that a police officer is “a good driver.”

The law enforcement personnel were given first choice from the cookie table and spent some time talking with the students.