by Kelli Easterling/Richmond County Daily Journal
Many senior students in Richmond County have been working on their senior projects for months, but Rockingham Police Department K-9 Officer Sgt. Andy Ansley doubts any of them have put in as much time as the young man he’s been mentoring.
“We’re only required to do 13 hours to get credit for the project,” said Marcus Crank, student at Leak Street High School.
Crank has completed almost 40 hours of work with the department.
“I got a 97 on my research report, the highest grade in my class,” said Crank.
Seniors are required to choose a career field on which to complete a senior project. Part of the project includes finding a mentor in the field and working with them.
Crank chose the K-9 law enforcement field, and liked it so much he’s spent nearly every weekend working with Sgt. Ansley since they met a couple of months ago.
“I chose to do my project on this because I love animals,” said Crank. “Learning about what kind of knowledge and training takes for a dog to qualify as a K-9 really interested me.”
