After 30 years of service as a Lewisville police officer, and eight years of service as a resource officer in our school officer Howard Clark retired yesterday.

As a staff we would like to thank Clark for everything he has done for the safety of students and faculty in our school.

For those who don’t know Clark, he is a family man who grew up in Denton and mentions his parents, wife, kids, and grand-kids in conversations very often. He isn’t fond of donuts, and loves to collect guns and makes knives.

Of the many tasks Clark had as our SRO, he was very good at reading people and making a connection with everybody.

Clark communicated and connected with students who need an extra push in the right direction. While he knew how to impose authority, once he made a connection with a student or faculty member he was the friendliest person one will meet.

When a student was involved in a disciplinary issue, he would calmly sit them down and explain why they were in trouble and what the consequences were.

After discussing the problem, Clark also gave advice to help prevent the student from getting into more trouble.

Because of his advice, students changed their attitude and parents thanked him for making a difference in their student.

His warm personality and sense of humor, along with his skills as an officer, are big reasons why his retirement will leave big shoes to fill.

Although the school is supposed to receiver another resource officer soon, the service Clark gave to the school and the impact he had on the lives of students and faculty will be greatly missed and we wish him the best for his retirement.