Bryant Elementary fifth graders were honored for completing the DARE program at a graduation on April 3, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — Bryant Elementary School in Kearney celebrated two classes of fifth graders who had recently completed their DARE class on Thursday, April 3.
Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or DARE., is an education program that seeks to prevent use of controlled drugs, membership in gangs, and violent behavior.
It was founded in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1983 as a joint initiative between the Los Angeles Police Department and the city’s Unified School District.
The instructor for Kearney’s first DARE class Kearney Police Department’s School Resource Officer (SRO) Boyd Weller, who has been with KPD for 20 years.
The DARE mission is teaching students decision-making skills to help them lead safe and healthy lives and the DARE vision is a world in which students everywhere are empowered to respect others and choose to lead lives free from violence, substance abuse and other dangerous behaviors, said Weller.
“I have had the opportunity over the last 10 weeks to get to know my students at Emerson Elementary and through the DARE curriculum, provide them with knowledge, skills and strategies to live safe and healthy lives,” said Weller, “I say my students because they will forever be my students, as I will forever be their DARE officer.”
Weller said it is his hope that every student in the community knows that they can contact any law enforcement or educational professional and know that these are trusted adults that care about them.
DARE is known well for teaching students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, but Weller said he also told the students about the importance of making responsible and safe decisions.
“We talked about being a good citizen, helping others and knowing what it means to show empathy. It was also very important for me to tell my students that if you are going to report something, do it in a way that keeps you or others safe,” Weller said.
The fifth-grade students had all been asked to write an essay about what they have learned in DARE, how they have used the DARE decision model and how they plan to use what they have learned.
The fifth-grade students had all been asked to write an essay about what they have learned in DARE, how they have used the DARE decision model and how they plan to use what they have learned.
Two students, Donald Woolstenhulme and Leslie Xum Tiul, were selected to read their essays to the crowd.
We appreciate Weller’s effort and willingness to get to know our students. He has had a positive impact on the students during his time at Emerson, with the lessons he taught and with the relationships he started. We have been honored to be a part of bringing DARE back to Kearney Public Schools,” Bryant Elementary stated.
