Feature Faculty: Jim Applegate

          While this year has brought countless new teachers to the faculty, it has also brought Resource Officer Jim Applegate of the Melrose Police Department. Applegate has been in Massachusetts his whole life; he was born in Charleston and lived there for a few years before moving to Melrose when he was 8 years-old. As a kid, Applegate went to the Horace Mann Elementary School, then to the old middle school, and his high school class was the first to graduate from the then new high school in 1976. After high school, he continued his education, earning a degree in criminal justice from Curry College.

               Before he became a police officer, Applegate worked at the Red Coach Grill and Marshall’s warehouse, but influenced by a family history of police officers, he decided to continue in the tradition and was sworn in as a Melrose Police officer in 1983 where he has been ever since. Thirty years later, he admits “I can’t see myself doing anything else. I love this job.”

          Before beginning to work as the MHS resource officer in December, 2012, he worked as a patrol officer. Now, Applegate can usually be found at the main desk area of the first floor, or in his office adjacent to the main office. He loves to guide students with any problems they may have and he encourages students to come to him for advice. There are a wide variety of tasks he does for Melrose, and because he is the only resource officer for Melrose he not only helps at MHS, but also at all of the schools in the district. Not only does he help students, he also helps faculty resolve any issues that may arise between teachers and students.

  Officer Applegate loves working and living here; he finds it to be a great town and place to raise children as he has raised three, two of whom are in college and the other is a student at MHS. His favorite part of his job is helping the many kids of Melrose. He hopes to be around for a long time, and the town certainly hopes he sticks around also.

By Alden Bedsole