Wednesday, February 2, 2005
DISTRICT ATTORNEY RICHARD A. BROWN HOSTS “SHADOW DAY” AT KEW GARDENS OFFICE
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown today hosted the annual commemoration of the “Eighth Annual Groundhog Job Shadow Day” -- a program that brings youngsters into a professional setting so they can see up close and personal what grown ups do at work and learn how to apply that lesson in their own lives.
About 32 elementary school students from P.S. 215 in Far Rockaway, Queens participated in the day-long program at the District Attorney’s Office in Kew Gardens.
The visit and activities were set up as part of “Groundhog Job Shadow Day,” a collaborative effort with Junior Achievement, the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Education. The program provides students with a personal look at the world of work and shows them how the skills they learn in the classroom can be used in the workplace. Junior Achievement of New York, Inc. offers curriculum to over 97,000 students in New York City and Long Island with the help of over 3,900 business volunteers.
District Attorney Brown greeted the youngsters in welcoming remarks in his third floor conference room and said, “It is nice to have you here to see and hear how a District Attorney’s Office investigates and prosecutes criminals. Our work is important because what we do helps protect our community’s safety and security.”
Doug Schallau, President of Junior Achievement of New York, said this was JANY’s eighth annual “Groundhog Job Shadow Day.” “Students are able to spend a day with successful professionals who go out of their way to explain what their jobs entail. They also help students understand why their studies are important and to what they can aspire,” Schallau said.
Youngsters were paired with Assistant District Attorneys and members of the District Attorney’s support staff and spent much of the day shadowing prosecutors, detectives and staffers at various bureaus and units in the District Attorney’s Office. Some students observed arraignments, trials and witness interviews. The program was coordinated by Christopher Paulson of the District Attorney’s Special Prosecutions Division under the supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney Jesse J. Sligh and Senior Assistant District Attorney Frederica E. Jeffries.
District Attorney Brown said, “This is a wonderful day. The children get to see the important work that we do in the fight for public safety. They learn how the system actually works and we give them a firsthand look at the law and what it does to protect the rights of all of us.”