And if you try to get out of a gang, you can get killed.”
“Gangs, you really have to stay out of them,” she said. After the ceremony attended by Vista Mayor Judy Ritter, the kids ate cake.ĭeniah Tanner, 11, summed up part of her learning. Ninety-six Maryland students walked on stage and received certificates, a medal and T-shirts. The presentation was one of several by students at a ceremony to mark the completion of 13 weeks of Gang Resistance and Education Training, also known as G.R.E.A.T. The boys called out after the girls asking “why?” One girl answered she didn’t want to get arrested another added she didn’t want to ruin her future. The girls did the right thing by saying no and walking away. Three boys played the role of gangsters and invited some girls into their gang.
On a recent school day, a group of fifth graders at Maryland Elementary School in Vista performed a short skit about resisting gangs.
