ATF HELPING STEER STUDENTS; ANTI-GANG COURSE STARTS EARLY.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

Elementary students recently completed a nine-week course, taught by a federal agent, that the school district and the government hopes will help youths avoid involvement in gangs and violence.

Gang Resistance Education And Training is a program of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The curriculum focuses on drugs, the impact of crime, conflict resolution, cultural sensitivity and prejudice, goal setting, and responsibility.

On Friday, about 200 students at Mint Canyon Elementary School graduated from the program, receiving certificates of completion and GREAT T-shirts to mark their accomplishment, said school Principal Dan Levy.

The instruction, provided free to the district by the ATF, consisted of weekly 45-minute classes for third- through sixth-graders, Levy said.

``The major experience we wanted (students) to have was learning some of the ways of avoiding or dealing with negative peer pressure . . . things that can help (them) avoid negative peer influences that may influence (them) to become part of a gang, or drink, or whatever,'' the principal said.

The school already uses the Substance Abuse Narcotics Education instruction provided by sheriff's deputies from the Santa Clarita Valley station. But Levy said the message, whether coming from federal agents or sheriff's deputies, can't be repeated often enough.

``The more often you hit the topic, the more often the kids have to think about it,'' he said.

``We just want to make sure that kids are prepared. . . . We want to make sure that they have some tools to deal with others who are trying to get them involved in activities that aren't appropriate,'' Levy added.

GREAT was established by ATF in 1992. In that time, more than 2 million schoolchildren nationwide have completed the curriculum, geared toward helping youths grow into responsible members of the community, according to Special Agent John D'Angelo, an ATF spokesman.

Mint Canyon's small size - only 370 students in kindergarten through sixth grade - made it a good candidate to test the program in the Sulphur Springs School District, Levy said.

The diversity of Mint Canyon's enrollment - 25 percent Latino, 70 percent white - also made it a logical choice to hear the lessons on tolerance. About one-fourth of the students speak Spanish as their primary language, about half the students come from families that receive public assistance, and the rest come from middle-class to high-income families, Levy said.

``Our students have had situations where they come in more contact with students who are different from them,'' he said.