Left In Lowell

Yesterday morning after finishing my bi-monthly “blogger’s spot” on WCAP, I ran into Officer Tim Golden who was there to promote a summer program for kids of Lowell: the Student Police Academy. I never knew such a program existed. What a great idea!

The program runs for 3 weeks from 8:30 - 2:00 p.m. Incoming 7-8 graders attend from July 27 th - August 14th; incoming 7th and 9th graders attend from June 29 - July 17th.

The purpose of the Student Police Academy is to instill discipline, structure and team-work. The day begins with exercises. The Cadets take their classes at the Little Theater at LHS. Those classes consist of gang prevention, bullying, internset safety, drug and alchohol awareness, smoking cessation, ethics, decision making and the entire Grang Resistance Education and Training Curriculum.

Also the students will get CPR certified and First Aid Instruction; a tour of the Lowell Police Station, fire safety clases and demonstrations from the cannine division and the bomb squad.

Of course, there will also be opportunities for fun and games. At the end of the 3-week course, the cadets are given a diploma during a graduation ceremony.

Those parents interested can contact their children’s School Resource Officer or call 978-937-8943. There will be a mandatory meeting at the LHS cafeteria this coming Wednesday, May 13th at 6:00 p.m. Of course, the entire program is free of charge to children who live in Lowell. This is a great way to keep the kids off the streets while teaching them important life skills. I wish I was a kid again.