COVINGTON, Ga. — Sheriff Ezell Brown and the Newton County Sheriff’s Office graduated 838 students from the agency’s Choosing Healthy Activities and Methods Promoting Safety (C.H.A.M.P.S.) program during multiple in-person graduations at Newton County elementary schools during the months of December and January. 

The C.H.A.M.P.S. graduations were held in the following elementary schools: Middle Ridge, Porterdale, Livingston, Rocky Plains, Oak Hill, Heard-Mixon, East Newton and Fairview. 

The C.H.A.M.P.S. program is taught to every fifth-grader in the Newton County School System with subject matters including drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse prevention; gangs and violence; peer pressure/bullying; internet safety; methamphetamine; and cocaine. 

The C.H.A.M.P.S. instructors — Deputies Tim Smith, Michael Gregg, and Kimberly Cox — are certified to teach by the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association and tailor the lesson plans based on needs of the school. 

It is the goal of the instructors to teach the students what they need to be successful in the future and how to avoid the obstacles they ultimately will face. 

Brown and the NCSO acknowledge NCSS Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey; the Newton County Board of Education; and the principals, teachers, and school staff at each of the Newton County elementary schools for their part in making the C.H.A.M.P.S. program a success.