“You shouldn’t bully people, it can hurt them, especially if you do it physically, but emotionally isn’t any better. Some people even commit suicide because of bullying. Treat others the way you would like to be treated because I know you wouldn’t want to be hurt by someone.”
Those wise and important words were written by Sarah Kate Tidwell of Tunnel Hill Elementary, who had the winning essay for 2021 in the D.A.R.E. essay contest, judged best out of approximately 1,000 essays written by fifth-graders from 13 Whitfield County schools. The complete essay is reprinted in today’s newspaper. It is worth your time.
D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education but it might just as easily stand for D.A.R.E. to be different, to do the right things, because that is what the D.A.R.E. program has been promoting for all these many years to our area’s youth.
“I have a little brother and I want to show him the best role model I can be because I want him to make good choices,” Shayla Williams of Varnell Elementary wrote in the 2020 winning D.A.R.E. essay. “I’ve also learned that you have to choose your friends wisely because some of the things they do can be dangerous or their decisions they make are bad and they can peer pressure you to do things that you don’t want to do like smoking, doing drugs, drinking or being mean to other people. Life is all about making good decisions, when we make bad decisions it can lead to bad situations like going to jail or, worse, prison.”
It is clear these youngsters have learned valuable lessons through the D.A.R.E. program. That is a great thing. It all contributes to a better community, a better society, a better place for us to live and work and enjoy our country’s freedoms.
We commend these students and the others honored during the annual D.A.R.E. essay recognition program sponsored by the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office and the Kiwanis Club of Dalton that was held at the Dalton Convention Center. There were also second and third place students recognized as well as individual winners from each school.
We also commend the men and women of the D.A.R.E. program who provide these valuable life lessons to the students. Sheriff Scott Chitwood said in 2019 that since its inception in 1989, the D.A.R.E. program was “knocking on the door” of reaching 30,000 students during the past 30 years, and now many more have been reached.
That is a wonderful achievement.
From Daily Citizen-News
Award Nominations for the 2023 D.A.R.E. Awards
D.A.R.E. America is accepting nominations for the 2023 Awards:
- D.A.R.E. Law Enforcement Executive of the Year,
- Daryl F. Gates D.A.R.E. Lifetime Achievement,
- D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year, and
- D.A.R.E. Educator of the Year.
Recipients of these prestigious awards…
Sgt. James D. Rambur, 2021 GEICO Military Service Awardee
Congratulations to Sgt. James Rambur! James is the recipient of the 2021 GEICO Military Service Award. Sgt. Rambur was recognized for his outstanding work with Oklahoma D.A.R.E. This includes helping out with their annual Oklahoma D.A.R.E. Officers Association...
Calcasieu Parish Captain Receives D.A.R.E. Lifetime Achievement Award
Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) – A Calcasieu Parish deputy is being recognized in a big way after spending the last two decades mentoring young adults as part of the D.A.R.E. program. “It is unbelievable, you know, I’ve done this for some many years and acknowledged so many…
State of Iowa Mentor Timothy Felton Awarded the “D.A.R.E. Iowa Terry Dehmlow Lifetime Achievement Award”
From the left: NE Iowa Rep for the Iowa D.A.R.E. Officers Association Rick LaGue, D.A.R.E. Mentor Tim Felton, Treasurer for the Iowa D.A.R.E. Officers Association Gary Bellinghausen. “Tim Felton joined the law enforcement community in 1976 and became a D.A.R.E…
Gervais Police Chief Honored
Mark Chase recently was recognized as the D.A.R.E. Law Enforcement Executive of the Year. Gervais Police Chief Mark Chase was puzzled by a recent phone call he received from the regional director of the D.A.R.E. program, asking him if he had spoken with City Manager...
2022 Kentucky D.A.R.E. Awardees
These recipients were recognized at the state of Kentucky S.R.O./D.A.R.E. Conference on Thursday, June 23, 2022 at The Perkins Conference Center at Eastern Kentucky State University in Richmond, KY. Mrs. Allison Johnson received the 2021-2022 KY’s Educator of the Year...
30 Years of Dedication and Service to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program of Ohio & D.A.R.E. America
On Wednesday evening, June 15, 2022, Lloyd Bratz & Rafael Morales of D.A.R.E. America were on hand for the state of Ohio’s D.A.R.E. Awards Banquet which was held at the Kalahari Resort & Conference Center in Sandusky, Ohio. At the banquet Officer Donald A. Wilson of the Springboro Police Department and Officer Ralph E. Tanner Jr. of the East Lake Police Department were recognized and presented with an award for the 30 Years of Dedication and Service to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program of Ohio & D.A.R.E. America.
Minnesota D.A.R.E. Statewide Poster Contest Winners
St. Bonifacius, MN – A Dover-Eyota Middle School student was selected as the winner of the 2022 Minnesota D.A.R.E. poster contest. Andrea R. is a student participating in the D.A.R.E. program under the direction of the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office. Olmsted County…
Donald Danner Presented with the 2021 Larry Young Distinguished Service Award
Deputy Donald Danner with the Barnwell County Sheriff’s Office was presented with the South Carolina D.A.R.E. Officers’ Association 2021 Larry Young Distinguished Service Award for his years of service to D.A.R.E. and our youth of South Carolina. Danner…
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Copyright © 2022 D.A.R.E. America. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2022 D.A.R.E. America.
All Rights Reserved.