On Wednesday, February 28, Mrs. Janet Sharp’s fifth grade class at Louisville Elementary was the scene of a well-organized, yet energetic and involved D.A.R.E. Class led by Louisville Police Sgt. Tonya McWhirter.
The D.A.R.E. Program began in the Louisville Public School System in 1990 with Officer Gerald Hayes at the helm. McWhirter, an 18 year veteran of the department has served as D.A.R.E. Officer for the past 16 years.
D.A.R.E. which originally stood for Drug Abuse Resistance Education began in the early 1980s as a way to help youth combat drug and alcohol abuse. It has since evolved into the D.A.R.E. Decision Making Model; Define, Assess, Respond, Evaluate.
McWhirter said, “D.A.R.E. has kind of morphed into making safe and responsible decisions. So we try to touch all the bases that we can.” The D.A.R.E. curriculum covers such topics as: responsible decision making, understanding others, relationship and communication skills and handling responsibilities and challenges. The February 28 class focused on verbal and non-verbal communications. McWhirter stated that the next class would cover the topic of bullying and the curriculum does still contain a section dealing with drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse.
McWhirter said that over the years she has seen a change in how the students interact, as she has grown in her role as an instructor. She said, “I’ve also changed as well. I’ve become a lot more verbal and a lot more active with classes through the years. So not only have my children changed in the classroom, but I have as well.”
McWhirter added that she is supposed to be a guide rather than a lecturer and strives to involve the students as much as possible, and have fun without being disruptive. And she stated that she is very pleased with the results of the D.A.R.E. Program. She also credits leadership within the City of Louisville, Louisville Police Dept. and the school system for helping to make the program a success.
McWhirter said that she has been able to make connections and life-long friendships with students, and it means a great deal to see them make good decisions for themselves, and to be able to give them some of the tools that they need for good decision making.
McWhirter has a busy schedule preparing a 10-week course for 14 different 5th grade classes at Louisville Elementary, Noxapater, Nanih Waiya and Winston Academy.
This year she has around 280 students, each who is expected to complete an essay dealing with what they have learned during the course.
Each year there is a graduation ceremony with a special speaker. Last year’s speaker was MSU Women’s Basketball Coach Vic Schaefer. This year’s D.A.R.E. graduation will be Friday, April 6 at 9 a.m. at the Louisville Elementary Auditorium, for students from all four participating schools.
