Springs School Recognizes Retirement Of Beloved Police Officer, D.A.R.E. Instructor Kim Notel

Police Officer Kim Notel has been spotted all over East Hampton for decades.

The longtime resident, known as “Officer Kim,” has been a member of the Town Police department for 31 years, and could be seen on the sidelines of Turkey Trot races, teaching students about bike safety and giving them tours of police headquarters as part of a job-shadowing program.

She’s also been a D.A.R.E. and school resource officer for the past 25 years at the Wainscott School, Springs School, Amagansett School and Montauk School, and taught the D.A.R.E. program at Pierson Middle-High School, and previously at the Child Development Center of the Hamptons Charter School and the Stella Maris Regional School. On Monday, the Springs School District, Officer Notel’s alma mater, accepted her retirement, effective Tuesday, December 15.

“A role model for all, Officer Kim has empowered our students to be upstanding community members and healthy individuals,” Springs School Principal Christine Cleary said during the December 7 Board of Education meeting. “Officer Kim’s work goes beyond that of her D.A.R.E. responsibilities — whether she is working with families, finding resources, sitting in a dunk tank at our PTA barbecue or making delicious kielbasa for the World’s Fair, she is always around and part of our Springs School family.”

Officer Notel has assisted all of the districts she’s worked with to develop school safety plans since the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education, SAVE, legislation was adopted by the state in 2001, as well as annually educating the patrol division in all the school districts’ safety plans and the layout of each school building. She participates in Project Adventure — held at Camp Quinipet and Retreat Center on Shelter Island with Springs School and Montauk School junior high students and staff to promote cooperative learning, team building and improve upon communication skills — and Red Ribbon Week, the largest drug-abuse prevention campaign in the United States.

“She and the East Hampton Police Department are true community partners to us,” Ms. Cleary said. “Officer Kim has helped educate thousands of students on the dangers of substance abuse, violence, cyber-bullying and other negative behaviors. She has had an incredible impact on countless children of the Springs community.”

Board of Education President Barbara Dayton agreed.

“You’ve been such an asset to our school. All the kids love you. It will be very different without you there,” Ms. Dayton said at the Monday meeting. “You’ve been such an advocate and a presence at our school, so thank you very much for everything that you’ve done for us.”

Board member Tim Frazier’s daughters went through Officer Notel’s D.A.R.E. training.

“You’ve played a big part of our lives,” he said. “You’ve become a part of our family.”

He said, speaking as someone who has also retired: “It’s going to be great, but I hope you come back and enjoy the community that you helped create.”

Ms. Cleary joked that while the district will miss the officer in retirement, she wanted to let her know the district is “always looking for substitutes, so if she gets bored, she knows where to find us.”

Officer Notel laughed, then asked: “What about bus drivers? Do you need bus drivers?”

The board member met her questions with a resounding “yes,” to which the instructor said, laughing, “I’ll be around.”

Superintendent Debra Winter said the district is sorry it couldn’t hold the December 7 meeting in-person to congratulate her, or celebrate her SCOPE community service award she earned last year.

“Officer Kim has been a fixture at the Springs School for a very long time,” she said. “We’re going to miss seeing her around, but I’m sure she’ll be out in the community very often.”

Regardless, the school principal wanted the police officer and teacher to know how important and invaluable she is to the district.

“You are and will always be an integral part of our Springs School community,” Ms. Cleary said. “Kim, we thank you, the board thanks you, the administrators, the students, the staff — we all thank you. Thank you for keeping our kids safe and for being the heart of our community. We love you.”