Beverly Police Honors Shaw's Store Director, St John's Middle School Teacher

Courtesy of Beverly Police Department

The Beverly Police Department and the Community Advisory Council are proud to recognize the winners of the Community Police Partnership Award for 2012. 

On Tuesday December 11, 2012 at Endicott College, the following individuals were presented the Community Police Partnership Award in recognition of their significant contributions to improving public safety and the quality of life in Beverly during the past year. 

Matt Owens, Store Director of Shaw's Supermarket on Dodge St in Beverly. 

Matt was the driving force for the 1st Annual “National Night Out” event held in Beverly this summer. National Night Out is a nationwide Community Oriented Policing (COP)/Crime Prevention initiative that involves the community and police coming together in an effort to heighten awareness for drug and crime prevention, generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs, strengthen community spirit and police community partnerships, and send a message to criminals, letting them know that the community is organized and fighting back.

This year’s event took place on August 7 at the North Beverly Shopping Plaza. Matt coordinated with North Beverly Shopping Plaza management to use the parking lot and coordinated with all the stores in the plaza. His store donated all the food and drinks, and the labor of several of his employees, to make the event the success that it was. 

Matt has always been very involved in helping the community. Through Shaw’s store he donated Shaw's gift cards to the displaced victims of the 2010, 4th of July Mill Street fire. Through their generosity he has also donated to Beverly Bootstraps, Landmark School, Beverly Little League, Girl Scout Troop 60111, the Patria e Lavoro Society annual Christmas Basket Program for the needy, and the North Shore Educational Consortium. 

Matt’s actions demonstrate what one can do to raise the quality of life for the community. 

Thomas Walsh, Middle School Teacher at St John the Evangelist School in Beverly. 

Tom Walsh is an extremely ambitious teacher that has the unique ability to connect with middle school age students. Tom has high expectations for all of his students and recognizes students as the individuals they are. He is frequently found before and after school hours working on required instructional tools and strategies, so all of his students can access the curriculum. Tom puts in an incredible amount of time and effort to individualize each students work.

Students recognize that he is truly a caring teacher, with a genuine interest in them, which helps build their self esteem and provides them with the trust and confidence required to be self respecting individuals and members of the community. Tom makes his students feel like school is a safe place where they are respected and cared for. 

In addition, the students at SJS have volunteered to cook, serve, and clean at churches in Beverly and Tom is always there not only supervising, but working side by side with the students. He also organizes groups of students who volunteer to do yard work at the homes of individuals that have trouble keeping up with that task on their own. People in the community of Beverly count on this offering coordinated and lead by Tom. 

The lessons taught to these students under his guidance go far beyond the classroom. Tom has provided and instilled in them the importance of hard work, great effort, sharing, and caring. These experiences have nurtured both the heart and souls of so many members of our great community and have allowed our youth to realize the impact they can have and the difference they can make. This all comes from Tom’s big heart. 

Tom is a humble and genuine man that flies under the radar of some, but his actions demonstrate how one person can have such a great impact on our youth and the community in general. 

The Beverly Police Department and the Community Advisory Council would like to congratulate this year’s Community Police Partnership Award winners. Both have made a tremendous impact on our community and have set a great example for others to follow.