BY JOHN A. DARNELL JR.
      associate editor
      Most every school day, every week of the academic year, Boardman police officers stage walk-throughs at all local public and parochial schools in Boardman.
      The daily walk-throughs give students a chance to meet and greet their local police officers, as well as a chance to see officers as just ordinary people who have a job to do. Almost every day, every week, when the police walk through the schools, nothing happens.
      Last week it was another round of walk-throughs, and traveling through Center Intermediate School was Ptl. Evan Beil, who, as chance would have it, happened upon a young girl, a special needs student, who was extremely distraught because the combination lock on her locker wouldn’t work.
      When Officer Beil couldn’t open the lock, he continued about his journey through the school.
      The combination lock had to be cut-off the locker, causing the student much distress.
      It was just about a half-hour later that Officer Beil returned to the school with a new combination lock he had just purchased and gave it to the student.
      “She was just overwhelmed by this act of kindness,” said Melanie Shirilla, an English language instructor at Center, whose classroom is near the girl’s locker.
      “The first thing she said to me the next day when she came to school, was about how kind and nice Officer Beil was,” adding that “her mom liked the new lock! She was smiling from ear-to-ear.
      “This act of kindness meant everything to this little girl. It was a big problem to her, and this police officer helped her.”
      “People walk by other people with problems everyday and don’t think about it. But this man took the time to help this child and fix her problem.
      “It meant everything to her, that someone paid attention.”