BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Look around. It seems most schools are named for a geographic area or a politician.

As Mike Schuh reports, the 400 students of Calvin Rodwell Elementary School in Northwest Baltimore got a hands-on education about their namesake.

What does getting to sit in the police chopper, getting to see and pet the police horses and seeing the K-9 units have in common? Officer Calvin Rodwell. The helicopter, horses and the hardware all sat in front of Calvin Rodwell Elementary School Tuesday.

“Just a good guy, a tremendous guy,” said Dino Rodwell.

Dino Rodwell was 11 when his dad was gunned down. His last words to his killer were, “You don’t want to do this. I have kids.”

“What you saw in the community was what he was at home,” Dino Rodwell said.

If you’re of a certain age, you may remember Rodwell. He was the department’s original Officer Friendly. He was so well liked that nine years later, Mayor William Donald Schaefer named a school after him. Now, with his family in from near and far, 39 years after his death, the city re-dedicated the school and the students are learning something about the man behind the name.

“It’s super for me and my family,” said his brother, Clarence Rodwell.

These are some of the top-achieving students in Baltimore and grateful for what they’ve been offered.

“It’s really nice and grateful for them to come out on this day for us to re-dedicate the police that help our school,” said fourth-grader Bree Ross.

That school is one of the top performing elementary schools in the city.