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tinleyjunction.com news
the Tinley Junction | July 11, 2019 | 3
TPPD’s Shervino named
Illinois’ top DARE instructor
Orland Township’s
Will O’Brien
Freelance Reporter
Retired Tinley Park Sgt. Sam Shervino
(left) stands next to his nephew Bob
Shervino (center), who was awarded
Illinois DARE Officer of the Year, and
Robert’s brother, Officer Steve Shervino
(right) from the Plainfield Police
Department. Photo submitted
Tinley Park police officer Bob Shervino
has always had two passions: police work
and teaching.
He’s combined the interests to great
effect as a long-time DARE program instructor.
So much so, that in June, he was
selected among more than 100 candidates
as the Illinois DARE Officer of the Year.
“I was totally surprised,” said Shervino,
a member of the Tinley department since
2000 and DARE instructor since 2002. “I
didn’t even know I’d been nominated.”
Shervino, who grew up admiring an uncle
who was a sergeant in the Tinley Park
Police Department and became an Orland
Hills cadet in 1995, had his name raised
by his colleagues and a number of local
teachers whose classrooms he has graced
over the years. He was formally presented
with the award at the annual DARE and
Juvenile Officer’s Conference in Peoria,
an event he’s been attending for years to
stay on top of the latest and greatest in the
DARE program toolkit.
“It was a great day,” he said.
For Shervino, a Tinley native and father
of three, being an impactful instructor has
come down to a personable approach and
true interest in making a difference in the
lives of the more than 5,500 children he’s
taught.
“Patrol work is more reactive, and
DARE is more proactive,” Shervino said.
“I really do enjoy that. The kids are really
smart, and they’re pretty truthful and honest.
I teach them, but they also teach me.”
The Tinley Park Police Department’s
DARE program reaches nearly 1,000 students
in a calendar year, Shervino said.
When in session, he’s working six-day
work weeks, spending a few on patrol
and few in schools, where he works with
classes over a period of 10 to 15 weeks.
It is a lot of work, sure. But Shervino
finds it energizing.
“I think it’s made me a better person,
and I hope it’s made me a better parent,”
he said.
Shervino has taught DARE to all of his
children and two of his brother’s children.
His brother is an officer with the Plainfield
Police Department.
DARE’s curriculum has shifted considerably
in the time he’s been involved,
going from a drug-focused, just-say-no
approach in the early days to a broader
philosophy based on smart decision-making.
“It’s definitely changed over the years,”
he said.
The modernized focus and Shervino’s
pride in making his lessons relevant to the
children — whether through pop music
or the latest dance move — clearly work,
according to the teachers who nominated
him.
“His dedication to the program and
passion for its mission and purpose was
incredibly obvious and genuine from
the start,” Katrina Kloess, a fifth-grade
teacher at Trinity Lutheran School wrote
in a nomination letter. “As an educator, I
appreciate and respect Officer Shervino’s
natural balance between being professional
and yet appropriately personal with
the students.”
Jo Ann Greene, principal at Helen
Keller School, described Shervino’s attentiveness
in helping the children prepare
for their DARE graduation ceremony,
which features skits and slideshow set
to music.
“I have watched Officer Shervino sit in
the conference room for numerous hours
making sure every child has their picture
displayed and that the music is current and
Please see TPPD, 7
Saturday, July 13, 2019 • 9am– 1pm
14807 S. Ravinia Ave, Orland Park, IL
No appointment necessary
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Immunizations*
Sports & Health Physicals
($35 Township residents/
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