D.A.R.E. is a substance abuse prevention program developed to teach kids to respect others and choose to lead lives free from violence, substance use, and other dangerous behaviors. The Penn-Trafford School District, in partnership with the Penn Township Police, utilizes the D.A.R.E. curriculum in all of its elementary schools.
Officer Chad Meyers of the Penn Township Police taught D.A.R.E. lessons to all the district’s 5th-grade students beginning in September and ending with a poster board project contest and graduation celebration in December at which Judge Rebecca Tyburski spoke about the importance of making safe and responsible choices.
To celebrate the students’ pledge to be drug-free, Officer Meyers presented every student with a T-shirt. He also selected two group projects from each 5th-grade class whose project best expressed what they learned and can take away from D.A.R.E.
Winners of the contest are:
Harrison Park Elementary – Josie Comer, Emma Gipson, Noah Santimauro, Maren Sloan, Natalia Gunstrom, Isaac Johnson, Emma Savering, Will Weishaar, Tristian Krautz, Gianna Love, Katherine Stanton, Michael Shannon, Tyler Murphy, Brayden Fasso, Lily Petrisek, Ella Hileman, Natalie Sterner, and Haydon Fitzgerald.
Level Green Elementary – Jocelyn Dietz, Levi Mastroianni, Lorenzo Russo, Anna Szekely, Cora Whetstone, Antonio Caruso, Ethan Dubois, Miles Johnson, and May Wang.
McCullough Elementary – Curran Crenshaw, Anna Haas, Ziva Lapcevic, Blake Telenko, Gabriel Eger, Hannah Festor, Hayden Flickinger, Savannah Mull, Tressa Supancic, Gianna Pisani, Brooke Spahn, Gemma Yorio, and Eliana Zummo.
Sunrise Estates Elementary – Madelyn Galya, Addison Himes, Dustin Wendler, Ronnie Hoyman, Reese Hand, Emily Clark, Mason Durante, Mackenzie Emricko, Niomi Kearns, Maddie DelRosso, Gavin Ruzich, Ellie Panuccio, and Logan Toth.
Trafford Elementary – Anthony Caputo, Cruz Castaneda, Jack Fry, Jean Sonnik, Gracie Stultz, Hailey Corcoran, Nia DiBernardo, Drea Pecora, and Laney Rosenberry.
Officer Meyers with the Trafford Elementary D.A.R.E. graduates
Officer Meyers speaks to the 5th-graders
Judge Tyburski addresses the students
Officer Meyers with the Level Green Elementary D.A.R.E. graduates
Officer Meyers with the Sunrise Elementary D.A.R.E. graduates
Officer Meyers with the Sunrise Elementary D.A.R.E. project winners
Officer Meyers with the Harrison Park Elementary D.A.R.E. graduates
Officer Meyers with the McCullough Elementary D.A.R.E. graduates