Happy 25th Birthday D.A.R.E., in 1983, D.A.R.E. : Drug Abuse Resistance Education was started in Los Angeles, California by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District. D.A.R.E. is a cooperative program being conducted by Law Enforcement and School Districts to prevent Drug Abuse in young people and to promote understanding concerning their present and future roles as productive members of the community. This program was originally taught by a Law Enforcement Officer once a week for 17 weeks. The program has since been revised (2004 to Present) and consists of ten lessons with the option of adding lessons from the old program. D.A.R.E. lessons cover: The D.A.R.E. Decision Making Module (Define, Assess, Respond and Evaluate), Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana, Peer Pressure, Friendship, Advertising, Warning Labels, Assertiveness (Conifdent), 9 ways to be in Charge, a Review and writing a commitment to stay drug and violence free Essay. I also added the Self Esteem and Violence lessons as supplements from the old curriculum. For more on D.A.R.E.visit the D.A.R.E. web site.

The Rumford Police Department, Maine started our D.A.R.E. program in 1988. In 2008, we are celebrating 20-Twenty Years. This program wouldn't have been possible if it were not for the hard work of Former Chief Dewey Robinson and Retired Lieutenant Wayne Gallant. Today, I and another officer begin the Rumford D.A.R.E. program in the Fall and ends with the Culmination in the spring each year.

The D.A.R.E. Program was transitioned back to the 5th grade level in January 2000 and I and another officer teach to the S.A.D. 43 Mountain Valley Region/Rumford area at the Meroby Elementary School in Mexico and the Rumford Elementary School and the St. Athanasius & St. John School in Rumford.

Prior to the 1999-2000 School Year, D.A.R.E. was taught at the 6th grader level. Over the course of twelve years from 1988-2000 our program was taught at the 6th grade level at the Mountain Valley Middle School in Mexico and the St. Athanasius & St. John School in Rumford


The above photo was taken at Rumford's 10th Annual D.A.R.E. Graduation in 1998. Craig Wade is a former D.A.R.E. student from Peru, Maine. Craig took one of the D.A.R.E. Lessons to the next level. The D.A.R.E. lesson being Alternatives. In Alternatives we teach kids there are activities in life they can chose other than using drugs. Craig choose to race. And boy did he race. Craig in his first year won nearly all his races and won the Championship. Craig continued to race throughout his teens and we at the Rumford Police Department were proud to sponsor Craig and are proud of him for his accomplishments and choosing to stay drug free.

I received my D.A.R.E. Training from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in September of 1993. This 2007-2008 School Year is my 15-Fifteenth year teaching the D.A.R.E. Program in the Rumford/Mexico Area schools. The 2001-2002 and the 2004-2005 years were extra special for me, because my daughters went through the D.A.R.E. Program!!! My youngest daughter received the newly revised D.A.R.E. program.

I consider myself extremely lucky to have been chosen to teach the D.A.R.E. Program in the S.A.D. #43 Rumford/Mexico Area Schools, because I feel it is important to educate the youth of the dangers of Drugs and Violence. D.A.R.E. is the most satisfing part of my job. It's nice to enter the school in a police unifrom and have the youth happy to see me. I served on the State Maine D.A.R.E. Officers Association board of directors as its Secretary/Treasurer from 1996-2000. I attended the 12th Annual National D.A.R.E. Officers Conference in Washington D.C. in July of 1999.
Come check out my photo album.

WHAT IS D.A.R.E. ALL ABOUT?

The fifth and sixth grade curriculum from (1983-2003) was organized into seventeen lessons taught by a law enforcement officer who is certified as a D.A.R.E. Instructor.

The lessons offer a variety of interactive, role playing and cooperative learning activities designed to encourage students to solve problems of major importance in their lives.

The objectives of each of those lessons are listed below:

1. INTRODUCTION TO D.A.R.E. :
Students are introduced to their D.A.R.E. Officer and will become acquainted with the D.A.R.E. Rules, the D.A.R.E. box, and their responsibilities as D.A.R.E. students.

2. UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF MIND-ALTERING DRUGS:
Helps students develop a knowledge of basic drug facts
and the harmful effects of mind-altering drugs if misused.

3. CONSIDERING CONSEQUENCES:
Helps students identify consequences of using and choosing
not to use tobacco, alcohol and marijuana.

4. CHANGING BELIEFS ABOUT DRUG USE:
Makes sure students are aware of the actual extent of drug use among adolescents
and of the kinds of pressures they may face to take drugs.

5. RESISTANCE TECHNIQUES (8 WAYS TO SAY NO!):
Helps students learn and practice effective ways to respond
to different kinds of peer pressure to use drugs.

6. BUILDING SELF-ESTEEM:
Helps students understand that self-esteem results from positive and negative feelings and experiences. They will also learn how self-esteem may influence the choices they make.

7. ASSERTIVENESS:
Teaches assertiveness as a technique for refusing offers to use drugs.

8. STRESS:
Helps students recognize stress encountered in their daily lives
and to suggest ways to deal with it other than by taking drugs.

9. REDUCING VIOLENCE:
Helps students recognize that destructive acts of violence are inapproprate
ways to deal with anger and to resolve disagreements.

10. MEDIA INFLUENCES:
Helps students understand how the media influences the choices that they make.

11. DECISION MAKING:
Helps students apply the decision-making process to avoid risky behavior
such as taking drugs or joining gangs.

12. SAYING YES TO POSITIVE ALTERNATIVES:
Helps students find activities that are interesting and rewarding alternatives to drug use.

13. POSITIVE ROLE MODELS:
Acquaints students with outstanding high school role models.

14. RESISTING GANGS:
Helps students recognize the negative consequences of gang and group
violence and to help them resist becoming involved.

15. SUMMARIZING D.A.R.E. (D.A.R.E. GAME):
Helps students summarize and access what they have learned during D.A.R.E.

16. TAKING A STAND! (D.A.R.E. ESSAY):
Helps students respond effectively when they are pressured to use drugs.
Students will take a positive stand to be drug-free and to avoid violence with use of an essay.

17. D.A.R.E. CULMINATION:
Provides an appropriate D.A.R.E. culminating activity to recognize individual achievement of all participants and to reinforce the values and skills they have learned.