|
New Orleans, LA – U.S. Marshal Genny May
announced that a graduation ceremony was held on Friday, April 08, 2011, for 3rd
and 5th grade students from the Arthur Ashe Charter School in uptown New
Orleans. The students recently completed the Eastern District of Louisiana
United States Marshals Service sponsored Gang Resistance Education and Training
(G.R.E.A.T) Program. The 3rd and 5th graders completed structured six and
thirteen week curriculums, respectively.
The G.R.E.A.T. Program is a school-based, law enforcement officer-instructed
classroom curriculum. The program's primary objective is to reduce gang violence
through classroom instruction and various learning activities. The program’s
instruction focuses on helping youths avoid gang membership, prevent violence
and criminal activity, develop a positive relationship with law enforcement, and
teach life skills such as teamwork, communication, respect, anger management,
refusal skills, leadership, and who they can go to when they need help. The
overall objective of the program is to make the students GREAT citizens in their
schools, at home and in their communities.
The event was attended by the school’s faculty, Deputies from the Eastern
District of Louisiana, and invited guests. Some of the notable guests included:
Arthur Ashe Charter School Director Aqua Stovall, United States Marshal Genny
May, New Orleans Police Department Assistant Superintendent Marlon Defillo, and
Assistant United States Attorney Edward Rivera from the Eastern District of
Louisiana.
The guest speaker for the event was Leigh Torrence, a cornerback for the NFL New
Orleans Saints football team. Mr. Torrence provided the graduates with
inspirational words and a personal story of overcoming adversity on his way to
becoming an NFL player on a championship team. He also signed autographs and
took photographs with the students.
United States Marshal Genny May, Deputy Superintendent Defillo, and Assistant
United States Attorney Rivera provided words of wisdom to the students as well,
speaking of their experiences and reinforcing what was taught to the students
during the facilitation of the GREAT curriculum.
For further information about G.R.E.A.T. contact the EDLA U.S. Marshals Service
at (504) 589-6079 Press 1 or visit the G.R.E.A.T. website at
www.great-online.org. For more
information on Arthur Ashe Charter School visit
www.ashecharterschool.org. To
learn more about the U.S. Marshals Service visit www.usmarshals.gov to learn
more about the Eastern District of Louisiana Marshals’ office, visit
http://www.usmarshals.gov/district/la-e/index.html.
Additional information about the U.S. Marshals
can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.
####
America’s Oldest Federal Law Enforcement Agency |
