St. Marys Area Middle School Students Graduate from D.A.R.E. Program

ST. MARYS — St. Marys Area Middle School sixth graders graduated from the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program on Tuesday, April 4.

D.A.R.E. is a “highly-acclaimed program that gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence,” according to www.dare.org. Implemented in thousands of schools in the U.S. over the past 30 years, D.A.R.E. education programs “have been designed to provide students with the knowledge and tools they need to resist drugs, alcohol and other high-risk behaviors.”

City of St. Marys Police Officers Pltm. D.J. Marconi and Sgt. Mike Shaffer were the SMAMS presenters throughout the program, said Principal Julie Boyer.

“Over the course of the program, students learned responsible and safe decision making –defining problems, evaluating decisions, and effective communication were key components,” Boyer said.

All students who participated in the D.A.R.E. program received an award certificate, she said, presented during their recognition ceremony Tuesday afternoon.

“At the conclusion of the program, students were asked to write an essay highlighting what was learned,” she said.

Eight winners were selected: Ella Weisner, Chloe Lenze, Greyson Meyer, Ashlyn Barnum, Abigail D’Amore, Ava Powell, Juliana Gabler, and Kadelyn Tilburg, who was named the “grand essay winner.”