Senator Robert Gordon Attends Berkley D.A.R.E. Graduation

The annual fifth grade D.A.R.E  Graduation ceremony was held at Berkley Elementary School Thursday. The event took place in the school’s cafeteria filled with students, faculty, parents and friends there to congratulate the 2012 graduates. Schools Superintendent Michael Polizzi, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Danielle Shanley and Business Administrator Michael Sawicz were also in attendance to show their support. 

Special Guests Senator Robert Gordon and Assemblyman Timothy Eustace were there to present the graduates with certificates from the New Jersey State Senate and Assembly recognizing the students' achievements. 

D.A.R.E. officer, George Herrero, spoke to the parents about how the program establishes a foundation for healthy life choices and congratulated the students for their commitment to making positive choices in their lives. 

The D.A.R.E program was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has proven so successful that it is now being implemented in 78 percent of our nation’s school districts and in more than 43 countries around the world.  D.A.R.E is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through 12^th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives.

The D.A.R.E curriculum is designed to be taught by police officers whose training and experience give them the background needed to answer the sophisticated questions often posed by young students about drugs and crime.  Prior to entering the D.A.R.E program, officers undergo 80 hours of special training in areas such as child development, classroom management, teaching techniques and communication skills. 

D.A.R.E goes beyond traditional drug abuse and violence prevention programs.  It gives children the skills needed to recognize and resist the subtle and overt pressures that cause them to experiment with drugs or become involved in violent activities.