CALDWELL, Idaho — Eric Resendez is a school resource officer at Syringa Middle School in Caldwell. You can tell he loves his job. Connecting with the students and building trust is so important to him.
"The students are why I'm there, to protect them and keep them safe and just interact with them throughout the day," Eric Resendez said. "My ultimate goal is to be able to connect with them."
Apparently, one way to do that, is to bust a move in front of your students. Officer Resendez found that out at Caldwell High School's homecoming dance. He was filling in for Caldwell High SRO Eric Phillips at the dance that night.
"I showed up and I was hanging out with the kids in the front before they were able to go in," said Officer Resendez. "They were trying to bet me to go on the stage and bust a move and I was like we'll see if I can make it out there! They were like promise me you are going to make it out there, and I was like, okay, I promise."
Resendez was waiting for just the right song, and suddenly, there it was.
"So, Soulja Boy was generational for me, I listened to that growing up. I saw the kids jumping around out there having a good time and I thought I know the dance," said Resendez. "I get out in the middle of the crowd, phones are everywhere, people are jumping up and down, and I look out in the crowd and basically the entire school, was right there with their phones up in the air and flashlights on!"
One of the students taking a video was Ezabella Ozuna, a Caldwell High School sophomore.
"He was doing like Soulja Boy or something like that, it was so cool," said Ozuna. "It was really nice to see him hanging out with us and stuff."
Resendez says it took him back to his high school days.
"It was awesome."
That video that Ozuna recorded on her phone, made it to KTVB. We put it on the news!
"It just blew up really fast," said Ozuna. "I couldn't believe how fast is spread on social media."
It was liked and shared by people all over the Treasure Valley, and the country. Resendez says he knew what that meant, word was out! He was the talk of the school.
"I started hearing it trickle through the school a little bit, and my students were saying I saw you on the news. Then I saw it on the news and I was like, oh boy, I'm on the news," he said with a laugh. "You know, if I'm able to connect with them on a level like that, then they are more apt to come speak with me about whatever problems they have. Whether it be criminal, whether it be something they are going through and they need someone to talk to and to vent. That's what I'm there for. That's my reason for being an SRO."
Caldwell High School Resource Officer Eric Phillips was impressed, he says anything they can do as officers to connect with the students is a bonus! Since he missed out on homecoming, he thinks he may be able to outshine Officer Resendez on the dance floor at prom.
"We do have prom coming up, and if possible we may have a dance-off in store depending on how things go," said SRO Phillips with a smile. "I may have to do a little bit of stretching and take some ibuprofen, but I have some moves from my younger years that I may have to pull back out!"
Like it or not, Officer Resendez is now known in Caldwell as the dancing SRO.
"I guess I am," said Resendez. "Everyone is asking me to dance, challenging me at school to dance-offs, it's fun!"
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