The Crandall System Level II Herkimer County BOCES Takes A Stand for Nonviolence in Our Schools The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego County BOCES under the leadership of District Superintendent Dr. John L. Stoothoff took a stand this year for more than our youths' education, he took a stand for our youths' safety. He arranged for Grand Master Crandall to speak at one of his Superintendent's monthly meetings and after enthusiastic support from the school district superintendents arranged for the "Just Get Away Level II" section of the Crandall System to be taught at the April 7, 2000 superintendent's workshop for teachers of that BOCES. Grand Master Crandall taught a two-and-a-half-hour seminar to 29 attentive and eager physical education instructors. The details for the program were set up by Sandra Simpson of the Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES. Grand Master Crandall has taught the teenage just get away program to student groups in over 15 Central New York schools. This was the first time the teaching seminar was being taught to school district staff so that they could teach the program themselves. This program, once implemented, allows teachers in a school to teach escape techniques to their classes when it best fits in with the demands of the regular curriculum. The Crandall System follows the New York State guidelines for physical fitness and brings to a school district a program that can be taught by its own staff, within its own budget, and maintained as an overall program against violence in our schools. The first level of the Crandall System is for preschool up to eighth graders. This second level teaches escape techniques good for teenage boys and girls, ninth grade to twelfth. The techniques can be taught to boys and girls because they are nonviolent escape moves that cannot be turned around and used as bully or agressive moves. Teachers are first taught the philosophy and concepts of the Crandall System which are covered in the teachers' guide book in four steps. The underlying educational philosophy of the program is for students to understand self-defense and its relationship to others, whether potentially threatening or simply daily participants in their social surroundings. They are to understand ways to promote positive behavior from those around them and to discourage unwanted behavior. Students are taught are to demonstrate and present personal and socially responsible behavior as well as to care for and respect themselves and others. They will recognize threats to themselves and their friends and be confident to offer safe alternatives to minimize the threat. After some discussion on teaching techniques and the goals of the program, everyone came out on the floor and the hands-on instruction of techniques and how and why they work began. A comprehension test was given at the end of the seminar which tied together important points and facts that were discussed throughout the seminar. After this the participants received their "Crandall System Teenage Just Get Away" seminar teaching certificates. (more pictures to come soon) With great interest many instructors stayed behind to ask questions and seek out information about other such programs for the students they teach. At the conclusion of the seminar this group picture was taken. Grand Master Crandalls' instructional team for this program included Master Jill Crandall, Master Allen Hillicoss, Miss Ann Petkovsek, Mr. Nathan Morris, Mr. Arturo Santiago Jr., Mr. Timothy Cumings, and Mr. Eric Stalloch. Grand Master Crandall stated that working with such positive teachers who demonstrated such an enthusiastic desire to learn made him realize that the students of these teachers were truly very lucky. Each school represented was given a copy of the "Just Get Away" instructional videotape and a teachers' guide book to assist them in future presentations that they would do in their classes.