Yesterday, a special graduation ceremony was held for the fifth grade class of the Greene County School District in recognition of a program that was brought back after almost a two decade absence.

Eighty-six students graduated from the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program. The ten week program was led by Greene County Deputy and Certified D.A.R.E. Instructor Caleb Jans. The students learned how to deal with risky situations involving alcohol and drugs, dealing with peer pressure, how to get help from others, along other topics. The guest speaker was Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn who inspired and encouraged all of the middle school students who were at the ceremony that their lives were in their hands and with the help of the D.A.R.E. program, they can make the right choice to just “Say No To Drugs.”

Following Laehn’s speech, every student received a certificate of achievement, having passed the final test of writing an essay. They had to explain what they learned from the program, how they would use the D.A.R.E. Decision-Making Model, and how they would apply that to their lives. Then Jans announced the top four winners of the essay contest. The winners included: Aden Bardole, William Graham, Savannah Lansman and Breanna Ades. Each received a stuffed replica of the D.A.R.E. mascot and a framed copy of their own essay.

Middle School Principal Shawn Zanders told Raccoon Valley Radio his thoughts about bringing the program back for the first time since 2000.

“I think the first year of this program and getting it back in our school was very successful, despite the weather and some of the other challenges. I know we learned some things about scheduling going forward and things that will help be more successful. But overall I think the kids did a great job and certainly Officer Jans did a wonderful job and we’re just thrilled to have it apart of our school.”

A full list of the graduates for the Class of 2026 can be found by clicking the link below.

DARE-Graduates