'HEROES AND COOL KIDS' TEACHES PUPILS LIFE SKILLS

JACKSON - Students in the Jackson School District are working hard to
resolve behavioral conflicts and to set examples as positive role
models for fellow classmates.

In a Dec. 19 presentation to the Board of Education, teacher-advisers
Melissa Pennell and Bea Gagliano explained how the Heroes and Cool
Kids program works in Jackson schools with students who are in grades
6-12.

"The Heroes and Cool Kids program is a cross-age peer mentoring
program that picks up where the Drug Abuse Resis-tance Education
(DARE) program leaves off," Pennell said. "Heroes and Cool Kids
focuses on the development of important life skills such as making
connections with positive role models, bullying prevention, conflict
resolution and making positive lifestyle choices by highlighting
drug, alcohol and tobacco [abuse] prevention."

The program presently consists of 45 high school students who
maintain good grades, are considered to be positive role models and
exhibit good behavior in and out of the classroom. The participating
students and their parents sign a pledge which states that the young
people will abstain from using drugs, alcohol and tobacco wile
participating in the program.

According to the program's advisers, these students show good
communication skills and display a desire to participate in
communication skill training.

"What's great about this program is that it benefits not only the
sixth-graders, but the high school participants as well," Pennell
said. "The sixth-graders receive bullying prevention tools, character
education, they get a chance to meet positive role models and are
more likely to participate in similar programs when they attend high
school."

At the same time, the high school participants develop and hone their
own leadership, mentoring and public speaking skills, the adviser
said.

Pennell said the program consists of three district training
conferences and visits that are scheduled between November and May.
The trainers are current and former professional athletes who train
the students along with students from some of the 38 other high
schools that participate, she said.

In a power point presentation, the advisers showed training sessions
at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft. The sessions were led by
Keith Elias, a Princeton University graduate and former running back
with the New York Giants and the Indianapolis Colts.

The first conference trained students on public speaking techniques
and how to be a positive role model for younger students.

Other students trained with Bruce Harper, a former running back with
the New York Jets, and Tim Bassett, who played in the ABA and the NBA
and was a teammate of Julius Erving with the Nets.

Tennis professional Kyle Copeland-Muse held a program in a third
training room.

Other sessions cover activities for School Violence Awareness Week
and making positive lifestyle choices.

"We really believe this program is making a positive impact on our
students and sixth-graders who participate and we are looking forward
to continuing with this program in the years to come," Pennell told
the board.