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By Edward Lewis elewis@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
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WILKES-BARRE – Fourth-graders at St. Nicholas/St. Mary’s Elementary School are now Luzerne County junior deputy sheriffs.

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Students from St. Nicks's/St. Mary's School in Wilkes-Barre take the oath to become a junior deputy Thursday morning from Luzerne County Sheriff Michael Savokinas.

Clark Van Orden/The Times Leader

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Sister Mary Catherine Slattery, principal of St Nick's/St Mary's School in Wilkes-Barre, addresses the crowd gathered for the Luzerne County Sheriff's Junior Deputy Graduation program Thursday morning.

Clark Van Orden/The Times Leader

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Approximately 50 students completed a five-week program hosted by the county sheriff’s department that covered a wide range of law-enforcement topics and decision-making skills.

“I hope and pray every day that they get a little bit out of the program,” Deputy Sheriff Erin Joyce, the program’s instructor, said.

Joyce visited the students, teaching them to stay away from illegal drugs, gangs and firearms, and to be involved the community.

“Deputy Joyce does a wonderful job in coordinating the program,” Sheriff Michael Savokinas said. “She goes to the classrooms and talks about the dangers of gangs and drugs. If it saves one life, quite frankly, the program has done its job.”

Like cadets at a police academy, the students marched in single file into the school’s gymnasium. They took an oath given by Savokinas promising to be safe and law-abiding citizens.

Each student was awarded a T-shirt and a certificate.

Joyce, who has more than 20 years of law-enforcement experience, said she instructs the students on current topics, most recently the attempted luring of children near two schools.

“We relived that in the classroom, teaching the children what to do when approached by strangers,” Joyce said. “Hopefully, they say ‘no’ and run away.”

Savokinas said the junior sheriff program was never in danger of ending, despite county budget cutbacks. “I made it a pledge that this is a program we would keep no matter what the cost,” Savokinas said.

“I learn a lot from the children; they see things in a much different way,” Joyce said.

Approximately 250 fourth-grade students at Pittston Area Intermediate Center and 75 fourth-graders at Wyoming Area’s Tenth Street Elementary School were awarded certificates in completing the junior sheriff program on Wednesday and Thursday.

Fourth-grade students at Holy Rosary in Duryea will graduate from the program today.

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