The D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program held a graduation ceremony last Friday for sixth grade students at DeKalb Middle School. D.A.R.E. is a DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department-led series of classroom lessons that teaches fifth graders in DeKalb County how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives. Joseph Carroll of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department is the D.A.R.E Officer instructor.
This year millions of school children around the world benefited from D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), the highly acclaimed program that gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence. D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 and has proven so successful that it has been implemented in thousands of schools throughout the United States and many other countries.
The course identifies fundamental, basic skills and developmental processes needed for healthy development including: Self-awareness and management, Responsible decision making, Understanding others, Relationship and communication skills, and Handling responsibilities and challenges.
D.A.R.E. believes that if you can teach youth to make safe and responsible decisions, it will guide them to healthy choices, not only about drugs, but across all parts of their lives. As they grow to be responsible citizens, they will lead healthier and more productive drug-free lives.
Students wrote essays on what they have learned from D.A.R.E. and a winner was selected from each sixth-grade class with the essay winner at DMS being Jacksen Longmire, while second place went to Nevaeh Knight and Sophia Pina received third place. Each student took home baskets of prizes.
Circuit Court Clerk Susan Martin presented awards to students in an art contest held in conjunction with the D.A.R.E. program. “Before I was elected, I was a court reporter and went to several different counties, but the one that stood out was Wilson County because outside their courtroom they had some art from DARE students displayed there so I thought that was a good idea. The art from these award winners will be displayed in my office at the courthouse for all your family to see,” said Martin.
Winners of the art contest were first place Ara Gillis, second place Sidney Rigsby, third place McKenzie Hendrixson, and honorable mention to Miller Williams.
Sheriff Patrick Ray welcomed special guests to the ceremony including Register of Deeds Daniel Seber, Circuit Court Clerk Susan Martin, Road Supervisor Danny Hale, and Director of Schools Patrick Cripps.
