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As middle school students in
the city of Atlanta prepare for final exams and their upcoming summer
vacation, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office is preparing to graduate
hundreds of seventh grade students from nine (9) weeks of specialized
training. This week, deputies will honor students at Sylvan and Parks
Middle Schools for their participation and efforts in the Gang Resistance
Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program.
On Thursday, April 19th at 2:00
p.m., two hundred (200) students at Sylvan Middle School will receive
special honors at a graduation ceremony in the school gymnasium. In
addition to graduate t-shirts and personalized G.R.E.A.T.
"Certificates of Accomplishment", students will receive special
words of encouragement of South Atlanta High School Senior "Princess
Thomas". Princess was featured recently in the Atlanta Journal and
Constitution Sports Section following an unusual comeback to high school
sports following a devastating knee injury.
G.R.E.A.T. graduation
activities will continue on Friday, April 20th at Parks Middle School in
Southwest Atlanta. Similar to the activities scheduled at Sylvan, students
will also be honored for their accomplishments and commitment to avoiding
gangs and gang activity. The Friday graduation is scheduled for 9:00 a.m.
Since 1994, The Fulton County
Sheriff's Office has joined hundreds of law enforcement agencies
across the country as part of a national effort to reduce gangs. The
G.R.E.A.T. program is taught in a classroom setting by uniformed law
enforcement officers. G.R.E.A.T. teaches students good social values, and
educates them on the consequences of being involved a gang.
As a result of increased
federal funding in recent years, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office
has been able offer more G.R.E.A.T. programs to city and county schools.
The department recently received an additional funding award for the
2001-02 school year.
For
further information, 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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