Jovon and his brother Jordan, 14, who live in Murphy Homes, joined about two years ago, at their father's request; he died in September.
The Howard brothers were among the most energetic last Friday morning, as the boys waited for their bus to pull into Coppin's parking lot. They stood in the hot summer sun amid their backpacks and gym bags, cracking jokes as Kip Hall, one of the mentors, asked whether they'd remembered to bring the important stuff: deodorant, toothpaste, a toothbrush.
And, added mentor Dan Dorazio, "a good attitude."
The six adults on the trip warned the boys that they'd deploy push-ups to keep them in line.
A few minutes before the bus arrived, Lt. Col. Rick Hite, commander of the Baltimore Police Department's youth services division, stopped by for a pep talk.
"Boys, you've got to come back and represent," Hite said.
"Don't take this for granted. A lot of people never leave the east side or the west side. A lot of people never know what it feels like to sleep on clean, good linens in a hotel."
In Connecticut
They arrived at the Courtyard Marriott in Shelton, Conn., Friday evening and scarfed down foot-long Subway sandwiches.
They changed into their swim trunks and headed to the indoor pool - the highlight of overnight trips for any teen-ager.
Lights-out was to be 11 p.m., but at 1 a.m. the adults were still ordering push-ups for curfew violations.
Miles addressed the late-night ruckus over Saturday's breakfast, reminding them, "We need to be respectful of other people at all times." He led them in their group chant. "I am somebody. I am a King. I have self-worth. ... Failure is not an option."
That same phrase is printed on the back of the black T-shirts they slipped on after breakfast for the day's events.
First stop: The Sikorsky helicopter factory in nearby Stratford, a site selected by Miles after his return late last year from a 17-month Iraq deployment in the National Guard's aviation unit.
At the factory, war veterans walked them through the assembly line for the famous Blackhawk helicopter.
A guide mentioned that starting pay for workers is about $18 to $20 per hour.
"That's honest money," Hall reminded the youths. "That's not standing around on the street."
Afterward, they assembled in front of the building for a group photo: "Short brothers in the front, taller brothers in the back," Miles called out.
