Former NFL player Harvey Lee Armstrong,( Indianapolis Colts 86-91) is the C.E.O.of one of Gwinnett Counties most successful youth advocacy  programs.” The 180 Program”, as  in making a 180 degree turn from negative to positive. This program encourages youth who are on the verge of dropping out or getting kicked out of school to straighten up their act.
 
It does so by meeting with the students on a weekly basis for one hour each. The students are taught concepts and principals that are included in the “I Have Will Power Curriculum”, a curriculum written by the program’s Director Larry Veal. The program has been meeting with various students since January of  2006. This year they met with over three hundred students from four Gwinnet County Schools, Shiloh Middle, Lilburn Middle, Duluth High, and Lanier Middle.
 
During the first semester, spring ’06, of this program, according to one school record, 6 out of 12 eighth graders were paneled out of the school system.  This semester, however, out of 39 eighth grade students, only 2 were paneled out.
 
At the conclusion of each eight week cohort,  students are usually privy to a closing ceremony were other former and present NFL players, as well as other professionals are invited to come in to accentuate the positive information learned during the year. This year’s guest will be Former Super Bowl Champion Tony Jones,  he was an offensive tackle in the NFL and  played from 1988-2000. He started Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII with the Denver Broncos. Also former Parkview great and current # 1 tail back from Auburn University Brad Lester will be in attendance.
 
 The closing ceremony is Monday May 14, 2007 at Shiloh Middle School. Each class will have their ceremony at separate times beginning with the seventh grade from 10:45-11:30am, sixth grade 12:15-1:00 pm, and eighth grade from 1:45-2:30 pm.
 
The program will be held in room F-10 at Shiloh Middle and is open to the media.