MORRIS COUNTY — Youths from 13 Morris County towns were among the graduates of the third annual Morris County Public Safety Youth Academy this month, after facing an intensive week-long course that immersed them in a hands-on host of public safety programs and exercises.
The 30 high school students who participated in the unique and free program, sponsored by the Morris County Board of Freeholders, ranged in age from 13 to 17 and entering grades 9 to 12 this fall.
Graduates came from Boonton, Chester, Long Hill, Mendham, Montville, Morris Plains, Morristown, Mount Olive, Randolph, the Rockaways, and Roxbury, Washington Township, plus Wayne in Passaic County.
The program was five days long and lasted eight hours each day. The cadets were exposed to an intensive program that featured a multi-faceted approach to public safety, including but not limited to law enforcement, emergency medical services, firefighting, and emergency management.
Students also get a taste each day of the public safety academy-style physical training
For a first-hand look at the 2015 Youth Academy, and to give potential 2016 applicants a look at what they might experience, view this comprehensive video:
“This program is like none other offered in this in the area. Cadets are exposed to all facets of the public safety profession,’’ said Scott DiGiralomo, Director of the Morris County Department of Law and Public Safety. “Our goal is to aid young adults in making a potentially life-changing professional commitment that could benefit themselves and their community.”
“The Youth Academy provides high school students with exposure to the field of public safety. At such an important time in a young adult’s life, when they are making decisions about their future, the academy affords them a hands-on opportunity to better understand and consider the field of public safety,” said Freeholder Doug Cabana, who is the county governing board’s liaison on law and public safety.
Most youth academies focus strictly on law enforcement. The Morris County program aspires to provide cadets with relevant and appropriate hands-on experience, allowing them to make an educated decision on their futures.
To achieve this goal, the cadets are exposed to police, fire, and EMS. By allowing them to participate in so many aspects of public safety, the cadets can realize an interest in a field previously unfamiliar to them.
The 2015 academy graduation occurred on August 7. The following is a list of graduates:
Roxbury: Michael Aemisegeo, Anthony Calabrese, Walter Chavarria, Michael Kovach, Jonathan Rheinhardt and Ben Smith;
Montville: Alexander Benno, Gregory Frieland, Joshua Lee, Samuel Rosensweig, and Jaden Vnencak;
Morris Plains: Christopher Brisson, Alyssa Chellaraj, Juhi Desai of Morris Plains;
Randolph: Stephen and Andrew Zenes, Danielle Buccelli, and Jordyn Bolan;
Mendham: Jenna Graff and John Herrlin III;
David Chen of Rockaway, Ryan Howard of Chester, Jonathan Johnson of Rockaway Township, Elizabeth Kaufman of Wharton, Sienna Madera of Mount Olive, Gianna Mitchell of Morristown, Kyle Mullaney of Boonton, Nina Tenten of Long Hill, Ryan Turse of Washington Township, and Christopher Paulison of Wayne.
