By Kyle Coppola
Sumter Deputies Build Bonds Through Classroom Storytelling Program
Bushnell, Fla. – Students at Bushnell Elementary were in for a treat this morning as Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Community Outreach Coordinator Beth Hunt, read to the school’s pre-kindergarten classes as part of Red Ribbon Week, which is a week-long campaign that raises awareness about the prevention of drugs, tobacco, alcohol, smoking, and violence in the United States. It’s also part of the Deputy Friendly program which is a community relations initiative that aims to build positive relationships between students and local law enforcement officers.
Dressed in red for the occasion, the young students listened eagerly to a story that brought laughter and smiles.
(Community Outreach Coordinator Beth Hunt prepares to read a story to the pre-school students. As you can see they were all very eager to hear the story!)
This event is part of an ongoing initiative by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, where deputies regularly visit local schools throughout the year to engage young students in reading. The program fosters positive relationships between deputies and the community’s youth, while promoting literacy in the classroom.
Bushnell Elementary faculty and staff have praised the program, emphasizing its importance in both encouraging early literacy and helping children see law enforcement officers as trusted friends.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
