Sheriff High Hosts “Middle School MVP’s”

Upper Marlboro, MD… With an event entitled “One Last Mentoring Session”, Sheriff Melvin C. High, Chief Assistant Sheriff Colonel Darrin Palmer, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Roccapriore and the Community Partnership Section (CPS) deputies joined in an end of the year mentoring session honoring sixteen students from four county middle schools where Sheriff’s Deputies conduct mentoring and training sessions during the school year.  

The students were nominated to be the Sheriff’s Most Valuable Players (MVP’s) by Deputies based on their growth, interaction with others, managing change and challenge or for overall progress made during the year and for active participation.

The program began with Lt. Colonel Roccapriore welcoming the honorees, parents and guests, followed by remarks from Sheriff High. Encouraging and motivating each student to incorporate the lessons learned from their mentors, Sheriff High urged each honoree to pledge to read a book a week over the summer break. “Keep your brains sharp and don’t lose what you’ve learned this year,’ said Sheriff High. “ I want you to pledge to read a book every week this summer.”

The honorees participated in an interactive ice-breaker session called “Getting to Know You”, where they interviewed a student from a different middle school and described that student by drawing characters on a balloon.

Corporal Richard Johnson, the Keynote Speaker, spoke to the honorees about his youth and the changes that occurred in his life with support and encouragement that ultimately led him to become a graduate of Temple University, and later a career as a deputy.

At the close of the session, there was a recounting of the school year and of first encounters with each other from deputies and students, and the process of getting to know each other on their journey to the end of the school year.

The honorees in attendance were:

·         Jannique Leach, Atiba McGill, Dejah Selders of Stephen Decatur Middle School;

·         Scarlet Mendez, Jessica Beckford, LaShae Perryman, Elizabeth Serrano, Mariama Sesay of Thomas Johnson Middle School;

·         Kennedy Lofton, Amanjanea Whitley of Drew-Freeman Middle School; and

·         George Allen and Deion Owens of G. James Gholson Middle Schools.

According to CPS Deputies Corporal William Harvey Sr, Corporal Alaina Gay, Corporal Yadira Rodriguez-Washington and Corporal Richard Johnson, young people look for and respond to encouragement and direction..

For more information, contact the Prince George’s County Office of the Sheriff Communications and Public Affairs Division at 301-780-8637.

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