Police Officers Escort Girl To Kindergarten To Honor Late Father
A little girl was escorted to her first day of kindergarten by dozens of police officers who worked with her late father.
On Aug. 8, as Anna Stolinsky got ready for her first day at a new school, 20 motorcycles and five police cars drove up to her home, sirens ringing.
Members of the La Vergne Police Department in Tennessee were there to escort the 5-year-old to school, in place of her father Detective Sgt. Kevin Stolinsky, 44, who died of a heart attack in 2021, while at work.
Today was the first day of kindergarten for Anna Stolinsky, daughter of La Vergne Police Lt. Kevin Stolinsky who passed away on November 12, 2021. In honor of her father and in support of her family, Anna and her mom were given a police escort to school and then were surrounded by officers from multiple departments as she made her way to the front doors. Anna even went back to give each of the officers a high five to thank them for helping her get to school safely.
Posted by La Vergne Police Department on Monday, August 8, 2022
"I was reading a book and went to tell my Nana, 'The policemen are here!'" Anna, told TODAY Parents.
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Anna's mom Casey Stolinsky knew the officers were coming, as her brother-in-law, who works in the police department, had asked her permission.
The family piled into the patrol car of Stolinsky's lieutenant David Durham — an emotional ride for Casey. "He was the one who drove us to the hospital the night we got the call (about Kevin)," she told TODAY Parents. "I sat in that same seat."
When they pulled up to Lancaster Christian Academy in Smyrna, a large group of officers were lined up to welcome Anna.
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A Facebook video from the La Vergne Police Department shows police forming a human corridor while Anna high-fives each one. She also got a hug from Officer Travis Wilson, who administered CPR to her father on the night he died.
Afterward, Casey and Anna's uncle walked the girl to class.
Last year, the police department also honored Anna with an American flag at her dad's funeral.
The school greeting, said Casey, was "amazing," and honored Anna's "favorite daddy in the whole wide world."
