C.H.A.M.P.S. PROGRAM GRADUATES MORE THAN 100 STUDENTS

Sheriff Ezell Brown and the Newton County Sheriff’s Office graduated 103 students from the agency’s Choosing Healthy Activities and Methods Promoting Safety (C.H.A.M.P.S.) program during an in-person graduation held at Fairview Elementary School on Jan. 20, 2023.

The C.H.A.M.P.S. program is taught to every fifth grader in the Newton County School System with subject matters to include: drug, alcohol, and tobacco abuse prevention; gangs and violence; peer pressure/bullying; internet safety; methamphetamine; and cocaine.

The C.H.A.M.P.S. instructors — Deputies Tim Smith, Michael Gregg, and Kimberly Cox — are certified to teach by the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association and tailor the lesson plans based on the needs of the school. It is the goal of the instructors to teach the students what they need to be successful in the future and how to avoid the obstacles they will face along the way.

In December 2022, Sheriff Brown and the C.H.A.M.P.S. instructors graduated 738 students from the program. December’s in-person graduations were held at the following Newton County Elementary Schools: Middle Ridge, Porterdale, Livingston, Rocky Plains, Oak Hill, Heard-Mixon, and East Newton.

Sheriff Brown and the Sheriff’s Office acknowledge Newton County School System Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey; the Newton County Board of Education; and the principals, teachers, and school staff at each of the Newton County Elementary Schools for their part in making the C.H.A.M.P.S. program a success.