The Whitmer Career and Technology Center criminal justice program provides students with first hand experience in the public service field, but they also receive a different form of training. Community engagement.
The students at Whitmer high school get all the text-book training including self defense, mock trials, investigation, emergency response, and so much more. This offers great first hand experience and training if they wish to get a job in criminal justice after high school. Experience and hands-on learning is great for the field of service, but is serving the public all you need to be a good officer? Mr. Cowell believes that there is so much more.
Mr. Andre Cowell is the head of the Criminal Justice program at Whitmer High School and has taught Criminal Justice for Washington Local schools for 4 years. Cowell was also a police officer for 25 years and worked for 14 of those years as a detective for crimes against property, persons and homicides
For Mr. Cowell, “teaching this [criminal justice] is like second nature”.
Typically in movies and T.V. police work is exaggerated, but can also show real situations in the public defense field. Police work isn’t just arresting people, investigations, and high speed chases, but it is also about showing the community you care.
That is the main focus and reasoning behind this drive/ assignment.
Caring for the community is a big part of the criminal justice program. You can see our future protectors guiding traffic at the Whitmer football games, helping with trunk or treat, or regularly helping other students out during school.
The good drive is a part of their capstone project. The students in this program form in groups and pick a cause they want to help and shed light upon. The students collect the goods and donate them to shelters and homes that need them. This year the drives are collecting and donating for things like, human trafficking, the humane society, food banks, and more.
Senior program member Shyanne Baum shares the simple motivation for her role in the project, “we want to give help”.
Many criminal justice program students have created flyers and placed them within the school, in public buildings, and in the shelter they wish to donate to. Their main goal is to collect goods so they can give back to their community, and help out as much as they can.
Giving back to the community and gaining respect, isn’t all this project is about. It helps the students gain knowledge on the situation they chose to raise awareness on. When they pick what topic they want to collect goods for they also have to do some research on the subject. The kids gain information to help advocate and collect resources for those in need.
Stella Lafartha explains when asked about her community awareness group and how she feels about this project, “I want to raise awareness of the situation, how serious it is, and how much people are in need [especially women and children]”.
The students collect the resources and goods and give those who need them, or donate them to certain shelters and organizations. Knowing your community and the hardships they go through further connects the students with their community and people they are helping.
The students in the criminal justice program are not only learning how to serve and protect their community, but also learning how to care for it as well. Knowing your community and showing that you care is important when protecting the public. Showing you care and understand the struggles they are going through is more important than just riding around, pulling people over, and catching the criminals.
The students in the criminal justice program are taking donations for their goods -drive up until Christmas break. There are donation boxes located in the senior lobby, CTC room 126, as well as the Whiter Field House lobby, or you can contact each student contact/team..