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Grant keeping
students healthy and schools safe
MARCH 2008—Thanks
to the $5.7 million Safe Schools/Healthy Students
(SS/HS) grant, kids in the Middletown City School
District are taking advantage of after-school programs,
mental health and support services—and that’s just a
start. Upgraded security measures have also been
implemented district-wide.
Middletown was one of 19 school districts, out of 485
applicants, to receive the highly competitive grant in
2006. The grant, developed to help districts nationwide
respond to concerns about increasing school violence,
has a few main goals: to improve safety, to improve each
school’s social climate throughout the district, and to
maintain and improve students’ mental health.
“Our main goals are to prevent violence, school
suspensions and substance use,” said SS/HS Project
Director Larry Debel. “As part of the grant, we also
hope to improve school attendance, student participation
in extra-curricular activities, and improve students’
emotional well-being.”
Thanks to the grant, nationally recognized model drug
and violence prevention programs and early intervention
services have been implemented in schools nationwide—
including our district. Currently at the high school and
middle schools, substance prevention programs including
Project SUCCESS™ and Life Skills Training are being
taught. In addition, programs and services that create
positive school environments and reduce violence are
also underway. They include: The Ophelia Project, peer
mediation services, Positive Behavior Intervention and
Support (PBIS) services, and Gang Resistance Education
and Training (G.R.E.A.T).
Middletown is also building on the strong connection it
has with the community. Thanks to SS/HS grant funding,
the district has partnered with several organizations to
bring services to our students. Some participating
groups include: The Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Council of
Orange County; Orange County Big Brothers Big Sisters;
The Dispute Resolution Center; Middletown Parks and
Recreation Department; Middletown City Police; Town of
Wallkill Police; Occupations, Inc.; Orange County
Department of Mental Health; Orange County Probation
Department; Orange County Youth Bureau; and The Ophelia
Project.
In
order to make sure the grant money is being put to its
best use, a project advisory committee meets monthly to
evaluate and improve on the programs currently being
offered as part of the grant.
GRANT FUNDS AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM
SS/HS funding is making it possible for Middletown to
continue to offer the after-school program, which offers
academic mentoring services and extra-curricular
activities to students. The program is run at Maple Hill
and Mechanicstown Elementary Schools and at the
Middletown Parks and Recreation Department’s Academy
Avenue site. Over 500 kids in grades 2-5 are currently
attending the after-school program at the elementary
schools and about 110 middle schoolers are attending the
Academy Avenue site.
As
part of the program, students can get extra academic
services in conjunction with the Extended Day Institute
(EDI). EDI provides additional instruction and support
for students prior to the New York State English
Language Arts (ELA) exams (grades 3-8) and the New York
State math exams (grades 3-8). In addition, students
take part in group homework sessions and
extra-curricular activities like arts and crafts,
sports, and table games.
Approximately 30 Middletown High School students help to
run the program— students are all employees of the
Middletown Parks and Recreation Department.
“The grant has provided a wonderful opportunity for our
older high school youth to gain work experience and work
with our younger children while earning money at the
same time,” said Debel
SECURITY UPGRADED DISTRICT-WIDE
An
upgrade in district security is another perk of the
SS/HS grant. To improve security, the district installed
security cameras in all buildings and many parking lot
areas and new visitor identification systems have been
introduced at Middletown High School and Mechanicstown
Elementary School. The other schools are slated to
receive similar systems over the next two years.
An
additional School Resource Officer (SRO), whose position
is funded by the grant, has been assigned to the high
school. Officer Steve Mercado responds to law
enforcement needs that arise at the school and he is
responsible for identifying and proactively intervening
in an attempt to resolve school-related problems and
issues. As a result, the relationship between the City
of Middletown Police Department and the youth in our
community continues to get stronger. SROs at both middle
schools are getting involved too. SROs are teaching the
G.R.E.A.T. program to students, which consists of eight
elementary and 10-13 middle school lessons. The lessons
are designed to reduce the risks of kids getting
involved with gangs, youth crime, and violence, while
developing positive relations and decision making and
communication skills.
In
addition, the grant has also funded truancy probation
officer Melissa Laks’ position. Laks is a member of the
Orange County Probation Department and has been working
at the high school since October 2007 with Middletown
SROs, law enforcement, administrators, counselors, and
the other safe schools’ staff to help improve students’
attendance and behavior. |
Safe
Schools/Healthy Students grant