DARE

TO RESIST DRUGS AND VIOLENCE

DARE Dances

Click here to buy tickets for the 5th/6th grade dance

Click here to buy tickets for the 7th-8th grade dance

DARE Role Models

Does D.A.R.E. work? Read about D.A.R.E. in the 21st Century

What is D.A.R.E?

D.A.R.E. to Say NO

Learning to say "No" and not feeling compelled to go along with the crowd is the essence of D.A.R.E., an anti-drug program started in Ohio in 1987. The program is co-sponsored by the Ohio Attorney General, the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Ohio Department of Education.

D.A.R.E. - Drug Abuse Resistance Education - is a preventative program originally developed in Los Angeles. Uniformed law enforcement officers teach the curriculum in school, aiming to equip young people with the skills to resist peer pressure to experiment with harmful drugs. The concept is straightforward and simple- D.A.R.E. to say NO!

Since its creation, D.A.R.E. has become the largest anti-drug program in the world. The program is taught in more than 54 countries to over 36 million children each year. The program is taught in 80% of the schools in the United States and is taught in every state.

Approximately 650 Ohio Law Enforcement Officers who have been trained to teach the D.A.R.E. program work in nearly every county of Ohio. Since 1987, close to two million Ohio school children have gone through the D.A.R.E. program. The program's primary focus is fifth and sixth graders because studies indicate that children in these grades are most responsive to prevention education. The curriculum is reinforced throughout Middle School and High School.

A Heavy Dose of Instruction

One of the unique features of D.A.R.E. is the use of police officers as instructors. The D.A.R.E. officer's main audience is fifth and sixth grade students. He/she visits each class once a week and stays on campus all day, interacting with students during lunch and recess.

Officers selected for this "classroom beat" have been carefully screened, and are trained by specialists in education and psychology to present D.A.R.E.'s 17-lesson program in an engaging and effective manner.

The D.A.R.E. curriculum focuses on four major areas:
· Providing accurate information about alcohol and drugs;
· Teaching students decision-making skills;
· Showing them how to resist peer pressure;
· Helping them develop alternatives to drug use.

D.A.R.E. Officers employ a variety of activity-oriented techniques to involve students in group discussions, role-playing exercises, and a healthy exchange of ideas and feelings.

The Strongsville D.A.R.E. Program

The core-curriculum of Strongsville's D.A.R.E. program is taught in 5th grade classrooms in each elementary school in Strongsville as well as St. Joseph and John. D.A.R.E. Officer Aaron Plut teaches this 10-week program at a different school each day. He spends the entire day on campus, in the classroom and interacting with students during lunch and recess.

Lessons in this program focus on four major areas:
· Providing accurate information about alcohol and drugs;
· Teaching students decision-making skills;
· Showing them how to resist peer pressure;
· Helping them develop alternatives to drug use.

The conclusion of this program is celebrated with a special D.A.R.E. Graduation Ceremony.

Strongsville's D.A.R.E. Program is recognized as one of the best D.A.R.E. programs in the State of Ohio. Strongsville's D.A.R.E. officers, with the help of D.A.R.E. coordinator, Cheryl Komora, host numerous events throughout the year to reinforce what has been learned and to stress the importance of healthy alternatives to drug use. These events include;
· D.A.R.E. Halloween parties
· D.A.R.E. Roller skating and Ice skating parties
 

D.A.R.E. Links

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