TROPHY CLUB, Texas — When students at Byron Nelson High School had the chance to nominate a teacher or fellow student this year for an award based around spreading kindness, many said there was one name they were all ready to push hard for: that of their school police officer.

This month, Roanoke police officer and Byron Nelson High School Resource Officer Adam Watkins was surprised at a school assembly with an award from the Austin-based organization ‘Dude. Be Nice.’ According to the organization’s website, their mission is to inspire people to treat themselves and others better, in part, by recognizing those who embody that mission.

At the Northwest ISD school, students said that is Officer Watkins.

Now in his 4th year as a resource officer at BNHS, Officer Watkins is regularly seen rolling the hallways of the school on a Segway, fist bumping students along the way and getting shouts of ‘what’s up Watkins?’ from kids making their way to class.

“As soon as you see Watkins, you just like, he just looks very huggable,” said senior Landon Jones as he stopped by to chat with the officer between classes.

“He’s very humble, and that’s just what people like about him a lot,” added student council member Chloe Williams.

Williams said the students at the school worked with the organization to surprise Officer Watkins and two of their fellow students with that recognition, and upon receiving it, the beloved officer could be seen shedding a few tears. 

“I’m a big po-po guy, but I’m a softy as well,” said Officer Watkins with a laugh.

Officer Watkins said he’s glad to know the students see him as a beacon of kindness in the school and that he tries to put out those kinds of vibes daily, but he said it’s really just a part of a bigger job that he takes on in his resource officer position: bridging the gap between the students and their local police.

That can be tough anywhere in recent years, as relationships between communities and their police have often been strained.

Officer Watkins realizes that and said he’s taken it upon himself to connect with his BNHS students and show them the human on the other side of the badge. He is a regular staple on the sidelines of the school’s various sporting events (even sporting a ‘BNHS Fishing Team’ hat for their events), is right in the middle of pep rallies with the students, and has an entire wall outside his office dedicated to pictures of him and his fellow resource officer having fun with their students in and out of the school. 

“One of these days when they’re going to need a police officer and they’re going to go, ‘Oh, I knew Officer Watkins, and he was very nice to me so I know that I can trust to go speak to an officer,’” he said.

Of course, being an SRO means putting on his "police hat" from time to time and having to get serious with some students over issues taking place, but several students at the school said they respect that when it comes to Officer Watkins, they understand why he’s got to do it.

Really, a better understanding is what it’s all about, Watkins said. Clearly, he’s succeeding in that mission.