Oakwood Elementary DARE Graduation


The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office D.A.R.E. program held its graduation for Oakwood Elementary fifth graders on April 7, 2017. Each student was required to write an essay before they could graduate. D.A.R.E. program consist of 12 lessons and the essay gives the students a chance to reflect back on the lessons.

Essays described what they learned and how the D.A.R.E. program can help them make safe, responsible choices. “Once I receive all the essays, winners are selected and they receive a prize. This year the two essay winners were Jamy Hunt and Connor Axson,” says D.A.R.E. Deputy Mendez, “I am proud of each and every student and hope they will always be safe and responsible.” Each 5th grader who completed the essay received a Certificate of Completion at graduation and a D.A.R.E. t-shirt.

“I truly appreciate our Paulding County Commissioners assisting the D.A.R.E program and covering majority of the costs beyond grant monies and donations,” said Sheriff Jason K. Landers.

Individuals and organizations can send D.A.R.E donations to Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, 500 East Perry Street, Paulding, Ohio 45879. All donations are deposited directly into the D.A.R.E fund account.

My D.A.R.E. Report By: Jamy Hunt

I will be talking about D.A.R.E in this report. I will be telling you about what I learned in D.A.R.E, how I used the D.A.R.E Decision Making Model, and I will tell you how I will use what I have learned in D.A.R.E to make safe and responsible choices. I will use details from my book and what my class and I learned in class. D.A.R.E taught me so much, and I hope my class and I will be role models not only to other students but to adults too.

I learned a bunch of things to help me make the right choices in D.A.R.E. I learned about the five w’s of reporting bullying which are who, what, when, where, and why (Lesson 8). We also talked about signs of stress like turning red, not acting like yourself, yelling, crying, and storming off and how to relieve the stress like drawing or counting (Lesson 5). I also learned about what tobacco and alcohol can do to your health like cancer, bad breath, and so much more (Lesson 2). In conclusion, that is what I learned in D.A.R.E this year and many other ways to keep me safe and other people as well.

My class and I also learned about the D.A.R.E Decision Making Model which is also very interesting. In the model you have to do some things. Define the problem (Step 1). Assess, what are your options (Step 2). Respond, what is your choice (Step 3). Evaluate, did you make the right choice (Step 4). I used the model to make the right decisions and help me find my options in a problem. I also used the model in class when we worked in our D.A.R.E books to see what the people in the scenario options were in a situation. I also used the model when I’m making a hard decision because I am really bad at making choices so the model really helps me out. In conclusion, that is how I have used the D.A.R.E Decision Making Model this year.

This is my plan on how I will use what I learned from D.A.R.E to make safe and responsible choices in the future. I will use the D.A.R.E Decision Making Model to help me make the right choices and find my options right now and in the future. I will also know how to read a medicine bottle so I don’t over dose myself and become really really sick and so I don’t drug myself. I will remember to stay away from drugs, alcohol, and tobacco so I don’t have bad health or kill someone else. In conclusion, that is my plan to use what I have learned in D.A.R.E to make safe and responsible choices today, tomorrow, and in the future.

To sum up, D.A.R.E has been a big impact on my life, teaching me how to make the right choices and everything. I learned a lot in classes like sign of stress, how I used the D.A.R.E Decision Making Model to help me make the right choices, and I will use what I have learned this year to make safe and responsible choices like staying away from drugs. In conclusion, I’ve learned so much this year and I plan to use what I’ve learned in D.A.R.E to guide myself to make good choices now and in the future. Thank you Deputy Mendez for teaching my class and I about D.A.R.E Another thing, be safe and make responsible choices.

D.A.R.E. Essay By: Connor Axson

I will explain everything I learned in D.A.R.E. D.A.R.E. was a lot of fun and I learned a lot of things. I will first talk about what I learned in D.A.R.E., then I will talk about how I will use the skills I have learned. Finally, I will talk about how I plan to use these skills to make safe and responsible choices.

First I will explain everything I learned in D.A.R.E. One thing I learned about were the health effects of tobacco and alcohol and why you should stay away from them. I also learned about pressure and peer pressure and how to deal with stress. We also learned about how to communicate confidently and why you should use effective communication to show people you care about what they have to say. One more thing I learned in D.A.R.E. was how to deal with and report bullying using the 5 W’s of reporting bullying. That is what I learned in D.A.R.E.

Next I will be explaining how I have used the skills I have learned in D.A.R.E. I have used the D.A.R.E. Decision Making Model to help me solve problems like the ones we solve in class. I also try to use confident communication at all times. The final way is that I use effective communication to show people I care about what they have to say. There are some ways I used what I have learned in D.A.R.E.

Finally, I will explain how I will use the skills I have learned in DARE. First off, the DARE Decision Making Model is a great way to solve problems like the ones in class. Also, I will always remember to read the labels on prescription and over the counter medicines. Finally, I will always try to communicate confidently and effectively. There are some ways I will use what I have learned.

That is what I learned in DARE I also explained how I have used the skills I learned. Finally, there are some ways I plan on using these skills in the future. That is my DARE my essay.