The sixth grade students from Anna Klein School started out as a nice enough bunch of kids, but in a week’s time their family members saw many positive changes.
Those changes were the result of the town of Guttenberg’s Junior Police Academy, a boot camp for children that taught them more than many of them thought they could learn in a week.
After starting the program on Saturday morning, June 22, they enjoyed a jam-packed seven days of activities that included a K-9 exhibition, prison visit, and helicopter fly in.
But what families and students themselves noticed most was the change in attitude and behavior. The program strives to teach honor, respect, and commitment. And from what parents and grandparents talked about graduation night, those values were now ingrained in each cadet.
“I learned a lot of discipline.” – Kevin Williams
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“He’s always been a good kid, but he’s more respectful than before,” said Shirley Iglesias, 23, whose brother Andrew, 12, was an academy participant. “He’s always been shy, but he’s a little less shy now. I also see an improvement in his public speaking and leadership skills.”
The cadets felt the same way.
“I learned a lot of discipline,” said Kevin Williams, of the academy’s squad six.
While Carlos Cacho-Rodriguez, 12, said it was “really fun” visiting the jail that week, he learned an important lesson from the experience.“That told me to not do anything bad, or wrong,” he said. “If I do something wrong, I will get there.”
Bryant Pedreros like the camaraderie that the week fostered.
“It was really fun and I made new friends,” he said. “We worked together and we learned new stuff – all of us together.”
“Our objective is to educate the cadets about public service, including county government, the judiciary, emergency services, and law enforcement,” said Sgt. Leonardo Ramirez. “We place strong emphasis on self-respect, respect of others, teamwork, and commitment to one’s goals.”
Most of the instructors were from the Guttenberg Police Department. Ramirez was the commanding officer. Investigator Shaundell Barker was head drill instructor. Other team members were Investigator Joseph Keselica, Police Officer Travis White, Special Police Officer Naya Bermudez, and Special Police Officer Steven Diaz. Numargo Vasquez, EMT, of the Weehawken First Aid Squad joined the team this year. Crissy Molina coordinated the week’s many activities.
Speakers at this year’s graduation ceremony included Guttenberg Mayor Gerald Drasheff, Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner, Capt. Joel Magenheimer, Police Director Michael Caliguiro, and retired Lt. Victor Conversano Jr.
Two highlight videos of the week, shot in the style of the television show “Cops” and containing many serious and funny moments, were shown. Each student completing the academy received a certificate for their accomplishment.
The cadet’s leaders were Yulene Laracuente, commanding officer, and Melanie Cedeno, executive officer.
The units were:
Squad 1: Bryan Acosta, Chelsey Albuja, Marijelly Argueta, Kevin Arias, Jimmy Cornejo, Madeline Espinal, Maykol Rodriguez, and Jonnathan Tovar.
Squad 2: Alaa Awawda, Gabriela Castro, Carlos Cacho-Rodriguez, Britney Chavez, Amy Escalante, Vanessa Feurtado, and Jhoann Tovar.
Squad 3: Kevin Gao, Gilbert Guaman, Henry Guiracocha, Suzanne Hamzah, Emilio Landa, Blake Ormas, and Estefania Ruano.
Squad 4: Ricardo Arjona, Ariyana Jenkins, Shanel King, Kaitlyn Lopez, Yanaisa Martinez, Nicole Ortiz, Bryant Pedreros, and Kevin Williams.
Squad 5: Andrew Iglesias, Jose Pineda, Alexa Quito, Lourdes Ramirez, William Reyes, Jeydi Rivera, Jason Rodriguez, and Andrew Roman.
Squad 6: Matias Aguilera, Crystal Alcalde, Derek Bezama, Milton Flores, Scarlett Pavon, Melissa Rosario, and Geraldo Sanchez.
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.