Double DARE
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| Columbia Middles School student Jill Whitman reads her winning Drug Abuse Resistance Education essay at the CMS DARE graduation. Terry Smith photo |
 
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Suedkamp, the officer assigned to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, saluted his charges May 11 and May 15 at two separate graduations for the DARE program.
The first program involved Columbia Middle School 5th graders while the second one took place May 15 at Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Columbia.Suedkamp, who has conducted DARE classes for 18 years, presided over both ceremonies.
"This ceremony is a testament to the good work of the classrooms," Suedkamp said.
These classrooms have been teaching children about alcohol, tobacco and drug awareness for over three months, hoping to get them in a mindset to resist peer pressure.
All the CMS students related their DARE experiences through essays, of which six were picked as winners from their respective classrooms. Students Adam Wittke, Jill Whitman, Amanda Perjak, Emily O'Connor, Frank Mantia and Taylor Allen were chosen as the best essays by Suedkamp, who whittled the list down to two grand prize winners.
Wittke was one of the winners, as he related what DARE has meant to him while reading his essay.
"DARE teaches kids and adults the danger of illegal and legal drugs," Wittke said. "I am not going to be one of these kids experimenting with drugs and alcohol."
A big part of Wittke's essay was the danger of tobacco.
"DARE teaches us that peer pressure is a big part of smoking," Wittke said. "I want to be healthy and not have yellow teeth from cigarettes."
The other winner was Whitman, who also read her essay to the group.
"Have you ever heard a broken record that keeps playing the same thing over and over?," Whitman said. "I will do that when people ask me to take drugs and alcohol because they will get sick of asking."
A sports enthusiast, Whitman believes taking drugs and alcohol will hurt her performance.
"Too much alcohol and I won't be able to play sports," Whitman said. "I want to go to college and get a good job, too, which won't be possible if I drink and do drugs."
The second ceremony at ICS was more of the same, except the DARE program takes place in 6th grade instead of 5th grade.
Suedkamp presented the essay awards to Molly Diehl and Bekah Watters, who each won their classroom contest.
ICS principal Mike Kish was proud of the winners and thinks the DARE program is an excellent teaching method for students.
"We started it in 1991 because I don't think kids can get enough education on these topics," Kish said. "We need to get them in a pattern where they can learn to stay away from drugs and alcohol.
"We all have our addictions and every day it's hard to fight them, but this gives the kids the tools to do that."
Kish said the other benefit is so the students can look at the police as friends instead of being afraid of them.
"I think officer Suedkamp ends every graduation by telling the kids if they have problems, to call him," Kish said. "And this is very important because what kind of life is it if you have to look over your shoulder all the time because you are afraid of the police?"
The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, or DARE, has been around for 24 years and is as important today as it was then. Here is some history on the program and where it has gone since 1983:
-The DARE program was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles to provide students the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs and violence. Due to its success, the program is currently used in 75 percent of the nation's school districts and in more than 43 countries around the world.
-A spin-off of the DARE program is called DARE America, which is a national non-profit organization. The program's goal is to serve as a resource to communities by helping to establish and improve local DARE programs. It provides officer training, supports the development and evaluation of the DARE curriculum, provides student educational materials, monitors instruction standards and program results and creates national awareness for DARE.
-The officers involved with the DARE program undergo extensive training. Before they can teach a class, the officers perform 80 hours of special training in child development, classroom management, teaching techniques and communication skills. Those who want to teach high school students do 40 more hours of training.
-Since 1988, a Presidential Proclamation declares one day each year as National DARE Day. State legislatures have joined with the President and Congress by proclaiming DARE Day with their respective states.
-The United States Department of Justice has identified five positives of the DARE program:
DARE "humanizes" the police, meaning students can begin to relate to officers as people.
DARE permits students to see officers in a helping role, not just an enforcement role.
DARE opens lines of communication between law enforcement and youth.
DARE officers can serve as conduits to provide information beyond drug-related topics.
DARE opens dialogue between the school, police and parents to deal with other issues.
