The Annapolis Police Department Supports our Schools

This school year the Annapolis Police Department continues to expand programs that support students and schools in Annapolis. Officers and civilian employees visit schools regularly for three programs, Character Counts!, Joven Noble and D.A.R.E.
 
Character Counts!
For the 2016-2017 school year, with the help of Character Counts Mid Shore!, we started a Character Counts! program at Georgetown East Elementary School. Officers and civilian police department employees visited all the third grade classes once a week throughout the school year to deliver short lessons on the six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. The same person would visit the class each week and spend time with students completing activities or discussions on one of the six pillars.
 
For the 2017-2018 school year we expanded Character Counts! to include three Annapolis schools: Annapolis, Georgetown East and Mills-Parole Elementary Schools. Personnel from the Annapolis Fire Department and Office of Emergency Management joined officers and police department civilian employees in the expansion of the program.
 
This school year we have again expanded Character Counts! to include five Annapolis schools: Annapolis, Eastport, Georgetown East and Mills-Parole Elementary Schools and Monarch Academy of Annapolis.
 
Joven Noble
The Annapolis Police Department’s Latino Liaison, Joe Hudson, has partnered with the Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ bilingual facilitators to bring programs from the National Compadres Network to Annapolis area schools. The programs include Joven Noble, a program for male students, Xinachtli, a program for female students, and Cara y Corazon, a program for parents and other extended family. In the 2017-2018 school year students from Tyler Heights, Mills-Parole and Georgetown East Elementary Schools and Annapolis and Bates Middle Schools and parents from Annapolis area schools participated in these programs. In the 2018-2019 school year programs will be offered at Mills-Parole and Tyler Heights Elementary Schools, Monarch Annapolis, Mary Moss at J. Albert Adams Academy, Annapolis and Bates Middle Schools and the Maria de la Paz Youth Outreach Center at 1701 Belle Drive. The Maria de la Paz Youth Outreach Center is open to 12-17 year olds Monday through Friday from 3:30pm to 9pm. They offer mentorship programs, homework help, life skills and therapy. It is operated by the Center of Help. For more information contact Kirsten Clark at kclark@centerofhelp.org.
 
D.A.R.E.
For the 2017-2018 school year we brought the D.A.R.E. program back to Annapolis schools. D.A.R.E. or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, is focused on teaching students decision making for safe and healthy living. Sergeant Nicole Vaden, Corporal Clement Adegbehingbe and Officer Danette Smikle graduated from D.A.R.E. training in October of 2017 and immediately brought the program to the fifth grade classes at Eastport Elementary. In the Spring of 2018 Sergeant Vaden joined Anne Arundel County D.A.R.E. officers teaching the sixth grade classes at Annapolis Middle School. Sergeant Vaden also instructed the fifth graders at St. Mary’s Elementary School.
 
Officer Eric Davis graduated from D.A.R.E. training in September of 2018 and joins Sergeant Vaden and Anne Arundel County officers teaching D.A.R.E. this Fall at Annapolis Middle School and Bates Middle School. The Spring of 2019 will see D.A.R.E. again being taught at St. Mary’s Elementary School.
 
The Annapolis Police Department is committed to partnering with our schools as part of our community programming. Positive interactions between law enforcement and the community are essential in furthering our mission of a safe and secure Annapolis.