10.27.2025 - Atlantis Charter EMT Certification Program Launch

Good morning everyone. Thank you for being here. Uh we'll get started now.

I'm incredibly excited for this. Uh for those of you I haven't met, my name is Robert Batty. I'm the executive director here at Atlantis. Uh and I'd like to welcome everybody to to the ribbon cutting for the EMS Triton Academy. Uh the EMT training course for Atlantis Charter School students. We're incredibly excited for and proud of this group of students. Uh and we're honored to uh today to be joined by so many

guests, including so many of our community leaders. Uh some of whom we'll hear from in a moment. But first, I'd like to recognize uh many of those elected leaders uh uh and other community leaders who are here. Please join me uh in welcoming them with a round of applause. Please. Uh first, we have Mayor Paul Coogan here today. Please join me in welcoming him.

uh our representative for here at Atlanta's Charter School, Representative Steven Wlette, Senator Michael Rodri, uh Representative Carol Fiola, Representative Alan Sylvia, Representative Steven Zoros, Uh we're also honored to be joined today by um other community leaders here. We have Fall River Fire Chief Bacon, Fall River Deputy Police Chief uh OEMs Captain Bethany Ferguson.

We also have uh some um representatives from some of the other area schools. And I try not to get on my soap box too much, but in this region, the way that um that the schools in this area, the K to2 schools, the uh institutes of higher education come together for the benefit of all students is a model for this nation and for this state. Um I I believe we have somebody here from

Argusy. Uh we received um a positive note on this from uh superintendent at Fall River Public Schools. uh and we always of course uh partner with Diamond also. Uh the extent to which the adults in this community work together for all kids is inspiring and it's a model for this entire state. So thank you to all of those representatives for being here as well.

Uh thank you again to Mayor Coogan for being here. Mayor Coogan has been a lifelong supporter of education in this region as you all know. Uh we're grateful for his partnership here at Atlantis. And to formally kick off today's event, please join me again in welcoming Mayor Coogan to the uh podium.

Uh I do have one brief announcement. One of our city councils, Ricky Tith, has also joined us today. I saw Ricky earlier. We didn't want to forget him, but that's not what we're here about tonight. Where's Ricky?

Uh we want to welcome everybody to the beautiful campus at Atlanta by the Wata.

This program is innovative, aggressive, and I got the opportunity, I was really lucky. I got to talk to most of the kids in it. They all have goals, they have ambitions, and they're going to be a key asset in the healthc care delivery for all of Massachusetts. So, let's kick this program off and get EMS going at the Atlantis [clears throat] Charter School today. Thanks everybody for being here.

Uh, thank you, mayor. But we also have again our representative for this land this uh campus right here is representative Steven Wlette. I'd like to welcome him to the podium please.

So I can present.

Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

On behalf of the House of Representatives I have a citation to present to the school. Um, we be it hereby known to all that the Massachusetts House of Representatives offers it sinc sincerest congratulations to Atlantis Charter School in recognition of the ribbon cutting for the EMS Triton Academy advanced emergency medical education in our community. Many congratulations on this

expansion and service and the students of Fall River. The entire membership extends its very best wishes and expresses the hope for future good fortune and continued success of endeavors. signed by the speaker of the house, Ronald Mariano, uh, Carol Fiola, Alan Sylvia, and myself, Steve Wlette.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Representative Wlette. Also, Representative Sylvia and Fiola, also long-term supporters of Atlantis, uh, and all kids in Fall River in the greater Fall River area supporting especially uh, education. We appreciate your leadership on this issue.

[clears throat] Um there are uh a lot of people responsible for getting this program off the ground. Uh but no one more than Jen Santos. Jen embodies the vision we had a decade ago for our career academy. A professional with expertise in her field, willing to work with our students to complement their college preparatory curriculum with real world hands-on workforce development programming in

high need areas. Please join me in welcoming Jen to the podium.

Good morning everybody. First I want to thank every single one of you guys for being here today. This is super important to me. Um and it's what our future is is going to be with these kids. Okay. So 22 years ago while painting my living room I heard a radio ad that would change the entire course of my life. It was a local EMT program and I I could never have imagined that

just a few months later I would begin a journey that has now spanned over more than two decades. I started as an EMT basic, continued to become a paramedic and soon after found myself teaching first as a teachings assistant and then as an instructor coordinator. Alongside my EMS career, I also built a career in law enforcement, married my husband, and became a mom of four wonderful children,

and then pursued my education, earning a criminal justice degree. And soon, this coming May, I will be earning my mers in emergency management and homeland security. My dream is to continue earning my doctorate in education in the years ahead.

Through all of this, I have been blessed to work with incredible colleagues and mentors and to teach students across Massachusetts from the south coast um to Worcester and primarily in the Boston area. Since I began teaching, I have carried with me one dream to open up my own program. I a place where I could help shape and inspire the next generation of EMS professionals. Three years ago, I became

a medical academy instructor here at Atlantis, teaching grades 10 through 12.

About a year ago, I brought forward a proposal to create an EMT program for our seniors. Our amazing school leadership team not only listened, but believed in my vision. They guided me, supported me, and together we built what we are now here to celebrate today, the EMS Tritons Academy. I am deeply grateful to our school leadership team for their trust and encouragement. To my fellow staff members who lift me even on

the toughest days and to my students who amaze me and inspire me and give me hope for the future every single day. It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child. I believe it also takes a village to educate one, to prepare them, empower them, and set them up for success. With EMS Tritons Academy, our students will not only walk across the stage with their high school diplomas,

but with EMT certifications in hand, ready to step into the health care, public safety, or wherever their calling may lead them. Today, we are cutting the ribbon not just on a program, but on an opportunity, on futures filled with purpose, on lives that will be saved and communities that will be served because of seeds planted here at Atlantis. Thank you for all being here to celebrate this

milestone with us. Thank you for believing in our students and for supporting the next generation of EMS medical professionals. And to my students, I look forward to seeing you all shine. Go Tritons.

Thank you, Jen. We're honored today to have Senator Michael Rodri with us.

Senator Rodri has been a consistent force in this state in support of education for all students regardless of where they attend school. His principled leadership is a key factor in Massachusetts position at top the nation when it comes to educating children.

Please join me in welcoming Senator Rodri.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Bey. Good morning, everyone. It's always uh it's always a pleasure to be here at on campus of Atlanta's Charter School and more so today than ever because uh what we're cutting the ribbon for today on this new EMT program is exactly what we've been focused on at the state legislature. We have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in a pro programs that we call CTI, career

technical initiatives, where we're preparing our students not just for their next school step in education, but the next step in their lives, in their careers, and nobody exemplifies that better than the folks here at Atlanta's Charter School. This is amazing. It fits right into what we're trying to do in Massachusetts. Now, we have free community college for all residents of the Commonwealth to continue uh their

education beyond uh K through 12. Uh we have made major investments in early education and care, the bookends, higher ed and early education uh in care. And we are very very proud of the fact that we still maintain the number one position in the entire country when it comes to education and we will not um retract from that. we will not step back and it's only because of partners and uh

great educators in education systems like here at Atlanta's Charter School.

So congratulations to you.

Congratulations uh to the students. This is an amazing opportunity for them and it's really amazing for all of us. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Senator. Uh today's my first time meeting Representative Zoros. Uh he and Jen have worked together a lot on uh public safety issues. Uh and I've heard about his passion for supporting public safety and emergency medical services. Uh please join me in welcoming Representative Steven Zoros.

Thank you very much.

It's an honor to be here especially with with these elected officials. I hope you understand how special they are and how they serve from their hearts. My name is Stephen Axaros.

I was born and raised in New Bedford. I became an EMT in New Bedford and actually worked at St. An's Hospital when I was a younger man. Then I went on to become a police officer for 40 years in Yarmouth. And now I serve as a state representative and very proud to do that. This work is special. But why am I here? I'm here because of Sha Ganon and

K9 Nero. And I want to tell you that story. on April 12th, 2018, I was the deputy chief of police in Yarmouth on Cape Cod.

And on that day, I sent a team of seven officers to a home to locate a criminal who was wanted. And when those officers went there, after a few minutes, I heard them screaming for help on the radio. So I was the deputy chief Yarmouth police in my 40th year and I heard my officers screaming for help.

What had happened is the criminal had shot Sean Ganon, my brother police officer who was born and raised in New Bedford like me.

And when his dog, our dog, Nero, went to save him, the criminal shot him in the head.

So when I arrived on scene, it was just horrible.

Broad daylight.

Shawn had been rescued from the home.

Nero was somewhere in the house. The murderer was still in there.

SWAT arrived, helicopters arrived, and as Alan Silva and Chair Fiola know, when you have police in your family, we stick together.

So, we came from everywhere.

And Shawn was brought to the hospital and every EMT, every paramedic, every nurse, every doctor did their best.

But while I was standing outside the suspect's house, we were told that Shawn had died, but we still had to get the shooter and we had to find Nero.

And after two hours of negotiating by brave police officers with the suspect by phone, he came walking out with his hands up and he was taken into custody and brought to the police station and he is in prison for the rest of his life where he belongs.

But we still had to get Narrow and that's really why we're here today.

not only to honor public safety, elected officials, your school, which is absolutely beautiful, but to tell what happened to Nero.

We finally went in and got him out.

I'll never forget the sight of a police officer carrying this bloody dog out who was still alive and he was swallowing his blood to try to keep his airway open.

And all the EMTs, all the paramedics, all the empty ambulances were there, but they couldn't help that dog.

They weren't allowed.

It wasn't legal in Massachusetts.

So, as cops, we took Narrow. We put him in the backseat of a cruiser.

A doctor jumped in the back from the SWAT team. And one of my officers who raised Nero as a puppy jumped in and held his head while the doctor worked on him.

and they drove as fast as they could to the veterary hospital and we all prayed.

We had lost a police officer and we were going to lose a dog. That day changed our lives forever [sighs] and we all just did the best we could to bury Shawn Ganon. Many of you were probably at the funeral and to pray for Nero.

He was still alive.

And police officers came from all over, canine officers, and they surrounded that hospital for seven days.

One of them slept with Nero in his cage as he struggled to live.

And at one point, we brought Sean's uniform to the hospital so Nero could smell it.

And that worked. And he started to eat and it recovered.

And 7 days later, I was there when we brought Nero's cruiser, Shawn's cruiser, to the hospital because we were taking Nero home and Nero jumped in that back seat and he began licking the headrest where Sean sat. So, that's what I saw. That's what we overcame. I'm a police officer, a EMT, but uh we needed to do something to fix that. And that's where politics and elected officials and Republicans

and Democrats work together to build buildings like this and to fix wrongs.

So we worked hard. We wrote a bill called Nero's Bill, Nero's Law. And because of these people, not me, we worked together and fixed a wrong.

And now the law in Massachusetts is every EMT and paramedic has to take a course which you will take in how to save the life of a police or military dog. They all had to take Nero's law training and they all are allowed to give first aid and they all are allowed to put a struggling dog in an ambulance and bring it to the veterary hospital. So because of Sha Ganon, because of Nero, because

of the elected officials, because of you, Jennifer, I'm here today to tell you that story.

I miss Sean Ganon every day.

He should be working today.

But I ran for office to fix that to put criminals that like that in prison and to change the law. And we did.

And I'm so proud to be here today. So I thank you, sir. Um, also I lost my own son in war, so I know what it's like to lose a loved one. So, I think of Nick, my son. I think of Sean. They're watching over us and they're saying, "Keep up the good work. I wish you the best for your future." And I brought Nero with me. This is one of the pups

that we created. We've sold them all over the world. One of them is in a cruiser in Tasmania because their dog is named Nero. And this is for you. So, God bless you.

Thank you.

Uh thank you, Representative. We're also joined today by uh our Chamber of Commerce. Michael Sullivan is here.

Please join us in welcoming Mike.

Thank you, Bob.

You always give me the toughest act to follow.

Um [clears throat] the the Chamber of Commerce is happy to be here today and we've worked with Bob and the staff here for years through our education committee talking about so many different ways to help the kids grow, help the kids uh get certification, help the students get uh you know be ready to work, not just get their education as as uh Senator Rodri had head and uh I can't be happier

about this particular program because we've been talking about it um for a while, but we're also talking about it in the context that there really there are jobs, there are needs in the community today to fill those jobs. Um and it's important that the schools be training the kids so that they can come out. These jobs are dangerous in their own way. Um we're grateful for all the first responders, not just here today,

but um all around the world. Um but the nice thing is that we know that you're starting to train the kids now. So we're very happy about that. We have a certificate here of special recognition.

It's presented on October 27th to EMS Triton's Academy in recognition in honor of your grand opening. Um, and it's signed by me and it's also um courtesy of Cox Media who sponsors every ribbon cutting that the chamber does. So, this is for you, Bob. And you'll never forget the date.

That's right.

Thank you. You guys come on back. You're still in the spotlight.

[clears throat] So, two things I want to do um to close our today's ribbon cutting. Uh the first is a s sincere thank you to everyone who has joined today's event. Um showing up for our kids matters. uh and the people here uh that are here do that consistently, especially the people behind me here. Uh we're incredibly thankful for your support uh ongoing support of all of our students. Uh

second, um I want to draw the attention back to these six inaugural EMT students um and congratulate them on uh this really phenomenal new program and your participation.

So um so here's the cool thing. There's only one group that gets to be first in anything like this, right? Like there will not there will never be another first EMT program at Atlantis. It's you guys. So that is a uh phenomenal um uh achievement uh and an honor and we could not be prouder of uh what you guys are doing. I want to be clear, you guys are setting the standard for future

students. Um, and as this program grows, as we train more EMTs, as we support our community better, uh, it's because of the program that the six of you have started. Um, our community will benefit from more public servants because of you. Uh, and I hope you are as proud of yourselves as we all are of you. Thank you to you guys. And thank you to everybody for being here today.