April 13, 2006

ROMNEY HONORS FALLEN KOREAN WAR HERO

A bridge near his home will bear his name and the Medal of Honor seal

Governor Mitt Romney today signed legislation naming a bridge on Route 18 in East Bridgewater in memory of Army Corporal Gordon M. Craig, who gave his life to save four fellow soldiers in Korea in 1950. For his act of bravery and self sacrifice, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military honor.

“The passage of this bill nearly 56 years after Corporal Craig’s decisive action is a tribute to his timeless heroism and shows our abiding respect for his sacrifice,” said Romney. “It is an honor to approve this remembrance for a man who gallantly served his country.”

Two of Corporal Craig’s first cousins, Betty Stirling and Carol Owen, joined Governor Romney and the bill’s sponsors, Representative Kathleen Teahan and Senators Brian Joyce and Robert Creedon, at the State House bill signing ceremony. Massachusetts’ two living Medal of Honor recipients, Secretary of Veterans’ Services Tom Kelley and former Veterans’ Services chief Captain Thomas Hudner, also attended.

“Gordon was a funny, handsome kid who loved his country,” said Betty Stirling, Corporal Craig’s first cousin. “It’s really an honor to know that he is being remembered this way so many years later.”

During an attack on a strategic enemy hill near Kasan on September 10, 1950, Corporal Craig and his fellow soldiers found themselves under increasing enemy fire. As the company moved forward an enemy fighter launched a grenade that landed among the advancing men. Without hesitation, 21-year-old Corporal Craig threw himself on the grenade, smothering its destructive force and saving the others in his company. He was killed instantly and his intrepid action inspired the men to mount a successful counterattack.

“Senator Creedon, Senator Joyce and I are happy to have been a part in achieving this much deserved recognition of Corporal Craig,” said Teahan. “We, like all who will cross over the Corporal Gordon M. Craig Bridge, will remember Corporal Craig’s ultimate sacrifice of his life to save the lives of his four comrades.”

“This memorial is a reminder that ordinary young men like Corporal Craig are capable of extraordinary acts of courage and love for their fellow soldiers,” said Secretary Kelley.

The Corporal Gordon M. Craig Bridge is located near to Corporal Craig’s childhood home in East Bridgewater and to the cemetery where he was laid to rest. The Massachusetts Highway Department, which owns and operates the bridge, will erect signs that display its new name.

April 13, 2006

HEALEY ANNOUNCES MASSACHUSETTS' FIRST RECOVERY HIGH SCHOOL

BEVERLY– Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey today announced the Commonwealth’s first recovery high school will open its doors this fall for students who are recovering from substance use disorders. The new high school is unique in that it is designed to help students in grades 9 through 12 who want to complete their education in a supportive and sober environment.

“Recovery high schools provide an opportunity for kids to continue their education in a place that is free from the social pressures that often lead to relapse,” said Healey. “Offering this alternative will help students stay sober while they get the education and skills they need to lead a successful life.”

The Lieutenant Governor said the majority of students who return to school from a substance abuse treatment program are offered drugs within twenty-four hours. Within 90 days, half of these students returned to drug use at equal or greater levels than prior to treatment.

Students returning from substance abuse programs often face significant challenges such as pressure from classmates and individuals who provide them with drugs. To avoid the social pressures, many students often drop out of school entirely, leading to increased rates of risky behavior and involvement with the criminal justice system.

“Having this very real illness sets these youth apart from other groups of high-risk students for whom other specialized programs have been developed,” said former Salem Superintendent of Schools Herb Levine. “Many students who have gone through a treatment experience and are attempting to maintain their recovery report feeling different from their peers and extremely isolated in their traditional school environment.”

“Unfortunately, we continue to see children who are addicted go through the spin cycle of detox-rehab-release-re-use and it must stop,” said Senator Steven Tolman, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse. “Recovery high schools will provide a safe and supportive environment to break this vicious cycle and, more importantly, it will help keep these kids in treatment and recovery. We all know that the longer you stay in treatment the better chance you have for recovery.”

The Beverly recovery high school will be administered by the Northshore Education Consortium, an organization comprised of 17 school districts. The education consortium was awarded $1.5 million from the state over the next five years, including $500,000 the first year to pay for start-up costs and $250,000 in subsequent years. The group, selected for its experience in providing educational services to at-risk youth, is leasing an unused middle school from the city of Beverly.

“The seventeen communities who make up the consortium are thrilled to be involved in this project and to have the opportunity to help young people regain their lives and continue their education,” said Robert Gass, Northshore Education Consortium Director.

The Beverly recovery high school, expected to open in September, will be comprised of one principal, four teachers, one full-time counselor, a part-time art teacher and a part-time nurse to educate 35 to 50 students. The teachers will be dually certified to meet all education standards set by the Department of Education, including course requirements and MCAS testing. The program operates similar to a charter school reimbursement plan, where participating cities are responsible for the per pupil costs associated with educating students who attend Beverly’s recovery high school.

Officials are planning an outreach effort to help identify candidates for admission, including both residential and outpatient adolescent treatment providers, public schools, juvenile courts as well as the Department of Youth Services and the Department of Social Services.

The opening of the Beverly recovery high school is the latest step in the implementation of the Substance Abuse Strategic Plan, a strategic blueprint for the prevention, intervention and treatment of substance abuse in the Commonwealth. The plan was released by Healey one year ago and identified several areas of strategic investment of which these schools are the latest.

Plans are currently underway for the development of two additional schools in Western Massachusetts and Boston.

Healey added, “We are committed to addressing this issue and know these schools will dramatically change the lives of the students involved.”