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Crowley ISD Criminal Justice Students Sweep Regionals
Written by Megan Middleton, CISD Communications & Marketing
Jan. 20, 2016
Crowley ISD criminal justice students swept the competition
at a regional high school law enforcement and firefighting event this month — with
30 qualifying for state.
This marks the second consecutive year the Crowley ISD team won the Texas Public Service Association (TPSA) Law Enforcement and Firefighter North Region Competition, where 17 high schools from across the area participated.
Crowley ISD’s own Bill R. Johnson CTE Center will host the TPSA’s state competition, which is set for April 29-30.
Markeith West, chairman of the law enforcement and criminal justice department at the CTE Center, said the program’s teachers and students strive to not only be the best in the region but also the state. He said it is an honor for Crowley ISD to host the state competition. It hosted the North Region event in 2015.
West, a former police officer, said he and the three other teachers in Crowley’s program are proud of their students and their accomplishments in this and other competitions.
Jaylin Lee, a senior at North Crowley High School who won first place in two events at regionals, is excited about advancing to state. She and her teammates were proud to bring home a second championship plaque to the CTE Center.
“We have really good teachers here at the CTE Center,” Lee said. “The law program is really good. You learn hands on, and I think that’s why we do so well compared to all the other districts.”
During the competition, students can participate in 27 different events, such as felony traffic stop, police report writing and inmate processing.
“The competition is based on what police and firefighters do on the job,” West said. These activities not only prepare students for what to expect in the real world but also give them an edge when applying for positions in criminal justice-related careers, helping them explain how they would handle various scenarios.
“Our kids will be at an advantage because they know what to do in these situations,” West said.
Professional police officers, firefighters and corrections officers help judge events so students receive feedback from someone working in the field.
The law enforcement and criminal justice program, like all programs at the CTE Center, helps show students what a particular career path is really like and whether it’s a good fit before they commit time and money in college to pursue it, West said.
“Students get to be hands on with classes here and decide if it’s for them,” he said.
Crowley ISD students won the following awards at the North
Regional event:
Jordan Long, Ricky Ochoa, Tyreke Goodman — Second place, building search
Christina Gonzales, Angelica Melendez, Jennifer Najera, Karen Duarte-Escobar — First place, brain bowl
Cristina Gonzales, Jada Ihebiniki — Third place, criminal case analysis
Angelica Melendez — Third place, opening statement
Juliana Medina — Second place, fingerprinting
Juliana Medina, Nayelly Reyes, Jennifer Najera — First place, criminal investigation
Giselle Perez — First place, traffic stop
Haylie Holman, Marcus Hernandez, London Malone — First place, felony traffic stop
Noelle Martin — Third place, first responder
Marcell T. Snowden — Third place, firefighter physical agility course, male
Toiya Smith — First place, inmate processing
Jicara Quinn — Third place, obstacle course: female
Marcell Snowden — First place, firefighter bunker gear race
Tyannah Pollard — Third place, firefighter search maze
Toiya Smith — Second place, closing argument
Jaylin Lee — First place, ideal prison
Priscilla Rodriguez — First place, police report writing
Halley Barksdale — Second place, police report writing
Shelbie Bell, Joe Lawton, Evan Miller, Sandra Santander, Seth Leddy, Destiny Wright — Second place, SWAT event
Shelbie Bell, Jordan Long, Tyreke Harris, Ricky Ochoa, Joseph Lawton, Sandra Santander — First place, cell extraction
Tayannah Pollard — Second place, firefighter obstacle course, female
Jaylin Lee — First place, marketing poster
In addition to West, teachers in the law enforcement/criminal justice program include Richard Lamkin, Evangelene Glover and C.C. Meadows.
