A school drug prevention program that many young adults went through in 5th grade school careers has evolved much over time.
For the last 17 years, DARE officer Tonya McWhirter has headed up the DARE program in Winston County and the program has continually changed and evolved from its first message of “Just say no to drugs” to a detailed decision making program.
A program that is in every school in Winston County now.
“We are so excited to have added Grace Christian this year,” said Officer McWhirter.
Times are changing and so is the message DARE officers are teaching the 300 fifth grade students in Winston County.
“D.A.R.E. is not just about saying no to drugs and alcohol, it’s about all the broader aspect of what these kids are going through,” said Officer McWhirter. “We talk about decision making and making the best decisions. The kids have questions about cyber bullying, vaping, opioids, suicide, online safety and so much more. We address these topics.”
The new curriculum addresses making safe and responsible decisions in all parts of life and not just at school.
“This is about our community,” said Officer McWhirter. “This program helps the students better understand risks and consequences and how to make good decisions especially in stressful situations.”
Officer McWhirter noted that it is awesome to be part of the DARE organization and know the role you can play in a child’s life.
“I aim to make the lessons enjoyable and fun while introducing the DARE ideas and decision making models to the students,” said Officer McWhirter.
In the classroom, Officer McWhirter becomes big as life as she constantly interacts with the students. She engages each student and asks them questions and praising their responses. Officer McWhirter reviews scenarios with the students to see the best ways to handle situations. Officer McWhirter gives the students a chance to think through tough situations before they are in those situations, which should lead to better decision making for the students.
Officer McWhirter also introduces each student to the DARE mascot Daren the Lion and talks about proper care for Daren and the importance of how you treat others.
Officer McWhirter also has a box in each classroom so that students may ask questions anonymously and she promised she would address every question asked.
Officer McWhirter has learned over the years that each year and each child brings a different though process.
“I need to adapt to the changes of each year and to each child and bring an upbeat and positive mindset to the classroom to help the kids on their best path,” said Officer McWhirter.
She noted she has learned so much from other DARE personnel across the state and country and appreciates the value all DARE officers bring.
“I love it,” said Officer McWhirter and recognized former LPD Chief Claiborne for always encouraging her especially when she might have questioned her own effectiveness. McWhirter also added that she was grateful for all the support she has received from teachers at the schools, fellow officers and city leaders.
She added that she feels the program’s effectiveness when one of her former DARE students recognizes her and thanks her for talking to them.
“It is such a blessing for young adults to think of you and tell you how you helped them,” said Officer McWhirter.
Officer McWhirter will help others experience as she helps lead A DARE Officer training course at Lake Tiak Okata January 6 to January 16. She will help instruct D.A.R.E. law enforcement officers on ever-changing challenges of the program with the new curricula that has been recently developed.
This is all to better safeguard and help children understand both well-known and contemporary dangers.
Beginning of DARE
Recognizing that enforcement alone will never curtail the use and abuse of illicit drugs, a partnership was established between the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in 1983 to create a new drug resistance education program for elementary school students.
Because few drug prevention curricula were available for schools to adopt at that time, Dr. Ruth Rich, Health Education Curriculum Administrator for the LAUSD, developed the original 17-lesson elementary school D.A.R.E. curriculum. The new curriculum, based upon prevailing prevention science at the time, emphasized teaching specific information about specific drugs and their negative effects.
