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Seventh
grade students at Jean Childs Young Middle School have something
"great" to look forward to when they return to the classrooms on
Monday. For the next nine (9) weeks, the Fulton County Sheriff’s
Office will be teaching Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.)
at their school. In addition to their regular studies, students will now
receive special instruction from a uniformed deputy who is trained and
certified to teach G.R.E.A.T.
The
G.R.E.A.T. program was founded in 1991 by the Phoenix Police Office
and a middle school principal. The program has two (2) fundamental goals;
to reduce gang activity, and to educate a population of young people as to
the consequences of joining a gang. Today, G.R.E.A.T. is taught in
forty-eight (48) states, including Georgia. The Fulton County Sheriff’s
Office has been teaching G.R.E.A.T. in the county middle schools since
1995. According to Fulton County Sheriff Jacquelyn H. Barrett, the
G.R.E.A.T. program has been very effective in reducing gang activity.
G.R.E.A.T. is highly recognized by principals, teachers, and students
throughout the county.
The
G.R.E.A.T. program at Young Middle School is funded by a $4,000. grant
provided by the Fulton County Chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police.
Funding is used to purchase student handbooks, incentives, name tents, and
other materials necessary for teaching G.R.E.A.T. A special graduation
ceremony will honor the seventh grade class when the program concludes in
May.
Jean
Childs Young Middle School is located at 3116 Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Drive
in Southwest Atlanta. For more information, including a schedule of class
times, please contact Sergeant Clarence Huber at (404) 730-4148. Sergeant
Huber can also be reached on his digital pager at (404) 833-8884.
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