“Wow, are you our mayor?!” a Mount Kisco Elementary School second grader asked Gina Picinich in awe.

“I am, nice to meet you,” Picinich said as students filed into Mount Kisco Town Hall.

“This is amazing!” the student responded.

Equipped with clipboards and plenty of curiosity, the second graders were on their annual walking trip through Mount Kisco, during which they learned all about their community and the helpers who make it run. Town Hall was the first stop before students trekked to the firehouse and police station. Later in the day, Mount Kisco EMS visited with an ambulance.

Picinich explained to students that she is one of five people who make decisions on behalf of the Mount Kisco community. She talked to them briefly about what makes Mount Kisco special before opening the floor for questions like “What is that big tower in the park for?”

At the police station, students saw the courtroom and holding cell. One of their favorite parts of that visit was meeting K-9 bloodhound Madison. They were able to watch Madison track human scent. One of the officers gave an item to Madison’s partner, Sergeant Hicks, and then hid behind a door in the back of the room. Hicks had students come and touch the item before putting Madison’s harness on, letting her smell the item and instructing her to find the other officer. She quickly made her way to the back of the room and pawed at the door, much to the students’ delight.

“The police station was my favorite,” said Rose. “I loved when the dog found the guy!”

Her classmate Jefferson agreed.

“I liked the dog,” he said. “I want to be a police officer!”

Students also enjoyed the fire station, where they were able to explore the inside of a firetruck.

“Oh man, I love this place,” one student said.

Jefferson thought the seats inside the truck and all of the walkie-talkies were amazing.

On the walk back to school, students checked their clipboards to finish checking off the scavenger hunt, which directed them to look for specific places, signs, transportation and community workers.

The trip tied directly into the second-grade unit on community and gave students first-hand experience with some of the people and places they were learning about.