The Chelsea Police Department said Monday that School Resource Officer Matthew DiNicola treated his students at the Clark Avenue School to a pizza party a few weeks ago and paid for the pizzas out of his own pocket.
The department posted photos of the party on its Facebook page with a note in English and Spanish. It said the gesture was in character for DiNicola, who, in its words, “regularly goes above and beyond for his students without expecting any recognition.”
A regional award in June
The post also recalled that DiNicola received the National Association of School Resource Officers’ 2026 Regional Exceptional Service Award for Region 4 in June. NASRO describes its Exceptional Service Awards as recognition for “continuous and sustained service to the school community.” Its public awards page does not list the 2026 regional recipients, so the award rests on the department’s account.
“Sometimes community policing is as simple as sharing a slice of pizza and making a student smile,” the department wrote. The post did not say which grades or how many students took part.