Ashland Police Teaching Positive Life Skills and Encouraging Police Student Interaction

Chief Scott Rohmer of the Ashland Police Department in partnership with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ann Dargon has introduced the G.R.E.A.T. program for the Ashland Middle School 8^th grade.  G.R.E.A.T. stands for Gang Resistance Education And Training Program.   The training and program implementation was funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs United States Department of Justice and provided at no cost to the Police Department or the School System.

The G.R.E.A.T. Program is a school-based, law enforcement officer-instructed classroom curriculum. With prevention as its primary objective, the program is intended as an immunization against delinquency, youth violence, and gang membership.

G.R.E.A.T. has developed partnerships with nationally recognized organizations, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the National Association of Police Athletic Leagues. These partnerships encourage positive relationships among the community, parents, schools, and law enforcement officers.

G.R.E.A.T. lessons focus on providing life skills to students to help them avoid using delinquent behavior and violence to solve problems.

The curriculum which is currently successfully implemented in over 1,400 community’s nation wide is a skills- based curriculum designed to produce knowledge and attitudinal and behavioral changes through the use of facilitative teaching, positive behaviors rehearsal, cooperative and interactive learning techniques and extended teacher activities.  The Curriculum has integrated National Learning English Language Art Standards and National Health Standards and is based on effective research practices.

Our goal at the Ashland Police Department is to prevent youth crime, violence, and gang involvement while developing positive relationships among law enforcement, families and our young people and to proactively protect Ashland and to create a safer community.  This program allows us to proactively fight crime and safeguard our youth through positive interaction and education.

Because of our involvement with students we are starting to build relationships that we hope will lead to reduced incidents of youth involvement of criminal activity out on the streets and more positive interaction between us and the students.

“Our interaction with students has already been extremely constructive.  We have begun to introduce positive life skills that will help the students make good decisions and healthy choices” stated Officers Tomaso and Pomponio Ashland Police Department certified G.R.E.A.T. Instructors.

“The development of Ashland’s youth is extremely important to us here at the Ashland Police Department. We are exceptionally excited to partner up with the Ashland School System in going the extra mile to ensure that our youth are equipped in every way to succeed” stated Chief Scott Rohmer.

Selectmen Arthur B. Shapiro and Selectmen Jon A. Fetherston have already served as two of the program’s first classroom observers

The G.R.E.A.T. classes are open to community observation. If anyone is interested in being a classroom observer please contact Mr. Carney the Principal of the Ashland Middle School.  The Police Department invites and encourages parents, caretakers, community leaders and community members at large to get involved.

Sergeant Ed Pomponio

The G.R.E.A.T. Program

"The goal of the G.R.E.A.T. Program is to help youth develop positive life skills that will help them avoid gang involvement and violent behavior. G.R.E.A.T. uses a community wide approach to combat the risk factors associated with youth involvement in gang-related behaviors. The curricula were developed through the collaborative efforts of experienced law enforcement officers and specialists in criminology, sociology, psychology, education, health, and curriculum design and are designed to reinforce each other. The three (3) different curricula are intended for different audiences and are most effective when youth are exposed to more than one of the curricula. The lessons included in each curriculum are interactive and designed to allow students to practice positive behaviors that will remain with them during the remainder of their development years."

To learn more please click on the G.R.E.A.T. Program web site.  Thank you.