Eatontown Sixth Graders Graduate From L.E.A.D. Program

A graduation ceremony was held for 100 sixth grade students at Margaret L. Vetter School for completing the L.E.A.D. (Law Enforcement Against Drugs & Violence) program in May. L.E.A.D. is a nationwide nonprofit that works with communities to help students understand the dangers of drugs and violence.

The students were instructed by Patrolmen at Eatontown Police Department, Ryan Hennelly and Michael Sullivan, who were trained by L.E.A.D. to teach the program’s proven-effective curriculum. During the school day, they educated the sixth graders on why avoiding drugs and violence is critical and helped them learn how to set goals, manage their emotions and make wise decisions.

“We’re thrilled for the sixth grade students in Eatontown that they got to celebrate their hard work to complete our program at a well-deserved graduation ceremony,” said Nick DeMauro, CEO of L.E.A.D. “The kids graduated with newfound knowledge on drug and violence prevention and skills such as conflict resolution and effective communication, and we’re looking forward to seeing how they use the knowledge throughout the rest of their school careers and beyond.”

L.E.A.D. provides services “On The Street” and “In The Classroom” as it brings law enforcement and communities closer together. The “In The Classroom” program is taught by more than 5000 trained instructors in 45 states, who are serving more than 500,000 students in 2,500 school systems. L.E.A.D. has a proven-effective, law enforcement-focused anti-drug, anti-violence curriculum for K–12 students in the U.S. The L.E.A.D. curriculum is taught over the course of a 10-week program to educate youth on how they can make smart decisions without the involvement of drugs or violence.

At the graduation, which was held in the gym of Memorial Middle School with parents and community members, the graduating students got to discuss what L.E.A.D. taught them and share the essays that they wrote at the end of the program, which required them to highlight their most important takeaways. After the ceremony, the children enjoyed a barbeque, a helicopter landing from the New Jersey State Police, a landing zone set up with fire apparatus, first aid squad ambulances, police vehicles and numerous local car dealership vehicles, and a police K-9 demonstration.

The day concluded with Rita’s Italian Ice and Nothing Bundt Cakes as well as a raffle for the kids, as many community partners donated prizes such as TVs, laptops, bicycles, game consoles, Apple watches, gift cards and more.

Ptl. Hennelly, who passed the torch to Ptl. Sullivan as this was his last L.E.A.D. graduation before retiring, says that the students’ L.E.A.D. essays is what has made him and Ptl. Sullivan most proud of the children.

“It was a pleasure to read the essays written by the kids,” said Ptl. Hennelly. “Getting to observe in their own words what they learned throughout being taught the L.E.A.D. curriculum and reading their pledge to remain free of alcohol and drugs so that they can achieve their dreams makes us extremely proud of them, and it shows us the real impact of the program.”

L.E.A.D. has benefited the sixth graders’ lives in many ways, says Ptl. Hennelly.

“The program has allowed the students to understand that the police officers in Eatontown are people who want to help them and who they can go to in times of need,” he said. “The children were also able to learn about the harmful effects of dangerous substances, which helped them to understand that getting involved in such things could be a hindrance toward reaching their life goals.”

Ptl. Hennelly says that the Eatontown Police Department is blessed to have so many businesses and organizations in the community that helped to make the L.E.A.D. graduation a success.

“All the students received great prizes that were donated to celebrate their hard work and give them a positive experience to remember when faced with challenges in the future,” he said.

“In Eatontown, the police, schools, students, and local businesses and organizations have developed a strong relationship, which L.E.A.D. has helped to advance,” added Ptl. Hennelly. “The bond has grown over the 30 years that our agency has been teaching drug prevention programs to the youth in our schools.”

About L.E.A.D.

L.E.A.D. provides the leadership, resources and management to ensure law enforcement agencies have the means to partner with educators, community leaders and families. L.E.A.D. succeeds by providing proven effective programs to deter youth and adults from drug use, drug related crimes, bullying and violence. L.E.A.D. is committed to reinforcing the mutual respect, goodwill and relations between law enforcement and their communities. For more information, visit https://www.leadrugs.org/.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Ariel Kaplan
Zito Partners
781-774-0023
ariel@zitopartners.com