Students in Rockford Public Schools will soon have the option to trade in their books for a new uniform and badge after graduation thanks to a new partnership benefiting our students and our city's police and fire departments. "It's something we've been trying to work on for quite some time about getting integrated into the school district," says Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten.
Alignment Rockford and the city's police and fire departments are working to recruit elementary and middle school students though community programs, teaching them what it's like to be a firefighter or police officer.
"You really have to catch kids early, when they're in elementary school and start building that awareness of the opportunities that exist in those careers," says Executive Director of Alignment Rockford Bridget French.