By Fiona Finchem, Staff Writer

After a long and busy day at school, most would go home and immediately grab the remote to relax on the couch. But School Resource Officer Edward Cottrell would much rather get his zen on by doing arts and crafts.

Cottrell came to First Flight High School this year after working at First Flight Middle for several years. Walking into his work space, students might expect to see an orderly office. Instead, the room looks more like a teenager’s bedroom: It is filled with lava lamps, artwork and a couch. 

“I don’t want it to look like a police department. If everything is sterile and clean and it looks intimidating, it’s not very welcoming,” Cottrell said. “This kind of looks like my kid’s room. And that’s why I do it. Because if it looks like their room, they’ll come in to hang out and talk. If they’re more comfortable with me, then they’ll come in when they have a problem.”

Cottrell started papercraft when he was a little kid. His mother was Japanese and taught origami and he picked it up. He makes everything from origami cranes to quilling vases of sunflowers, all made out of paper.

“I do it just to pass time and to keep my fingers flexible,” Cottrell said.

He also enjoys teaching students how to papercraft. 

“I teach so many different things. For Halloween I taught some costume building and then during Christmas I gave different ideas on what to do for alternative Christmas cards,” Cottrell said. “I try to teach it so it’s inexpensive and just about anybody can do it.”

When Cottrell worked at the middle school, he would take time to teach the students origami and quilling and would sometimes be invited to teach it during a class period. 

“See, for me, it’s like a stress reliever. I don’t go out and hang out with the guys and drink,” Cottrell said. “I’d rather sit at home with my kids, watching TV, so while I’m hanging out with them, I’m trying to do something and then learn something.

Cottrell’s creative juices are always flowing. When a pencil is on the floor in the hallway, most would kick it to the side or just completely ignore it. Instead, Cottrell picks it up and turns it into a flower, with the pencil as the stem and folded paper as the petals. 

For Cottrell, papercraft is more than just a hobby. It’s a way of connecting with the students he works with every day.

“I have the art stuff all over the room so I tried to use that as distractions or different ways to talk to kids. I may just try anything to get their attention and get their interest,” Cottrell said. 

Sophomore Fiona Finchem can be reached at 22finchemfi99@daretolearn.org.