WMHS Seniors Take Course to Learn How to Protect Themselves Against Rape, Assault

Like a drill sergeant, police Sgt. Paul Tenney barked a command to a class of 11 students. The mood was light; the message serious.

For the past three weeks, Tenney and police , the resource officer, have led a class for WMHS seniors, all women and school resource officer mentors, to help them protect themselves against assault and rape. Woburn Police Inspector Elizabeth Higgins also participated in the Rape Aggression Defense program.

The classes teach a combination of situational awareness, Tenney explained, plus safety tips and self-defense. Situational awareness means being aware of where you are and who is around you, Fumicello elaborated. If you’re on a bus or train, don’t just slip on headphones and put your head down. 

“It’s real world,” Tenney said of the training. Odds are, when these students are at college, they’ll go to a party, he said, and might need to know what to look out for to protect themselves.

The first two classes are a combination of bookwork and physical exercises, he said. Higgins covers laws that pertain to sexual assault and rape, confidentiality and what to do, Tenney said, if someone is sexually assaulted or raped. Fumicello discusses date rape drugs.

Then the students spend two full classes on physical training. Woburn Patch will not describe the exercises and compromise the training.

Student Giuliana Malvarosa said she was taking the class for two reasons. First, it’s a family tradition. Her mother and aunt took it, she said. Second, she’ll be going to college in the city, either Boston University or Northeastern.

“I’m here to educate myself,’ she said, “so if I get into (that kind of situation), I know what to do.”

Sarah O’Brien will also be going to college in the fall. She said she likes the way the class makes her feel:  stronger, more confident, sure of herself. She wants her four younger sisters to take the class, too, she said.

The RAD program stated at the high school about four years ago, Tenney said, when the three police department employees, plus teacher Anitra Brodeur, went to a one-week, 40-hour course and received national certification as RAD instructors.

The police department also offers the RAD program for teachers and school staff, City Hall employees and the general public.

They’re trying to arrange a class for mothers and daughters, Fumicello said.

They’ll offer the class for anyone who asks, he said, as long as they get at least 10 women to take it. Call him at 781-937-8200, ext. 316.

The cost:  free to the high school seniors, about $20 for others, he said, to cover materials.

Fumicello’s wife and older daughter took the course, he said; his younger daughter will take it when she is a senior and mentor.

“Rape and sexual assault happen in every community,” Fumicello said. “Why not be prepared?”

Students in the program are usually tentative at first, Tenney said.

The first class to complete the program were WMHS seniors in Fumicello’s school resource mentoring program, according to Tenney. A lot of them were athletes, he said. They came to the simulation in “war paint” and, Tenney said, “ready for bear.”

Next week, members of the newest class, wearing protective gear, will go through simulated attacks. Adrenaline will rise.

“We tell them from day one," Tenney said, "‘Participate as much or as little as you want.’” 

The instructors tell students not to share the techniques they’ve learned or try them out on friends; someone might get hurt.

After the simulation, the students and instructors will watch videos (never to be released, even to the students) of their confrontations.

“They’ll be surprised,” Tenney said, by how they apply what they’ve learned to protect themselves.