2015 St. Anthony PD Annual Report

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2015 Annual Report • Police Department • St. Anthony Village, Minnesota 28 | Page XI. Dare Summary PREPARED BY OFFICER JONATHAN SCHLINGMAN The St Anthony Police Department continued the D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program in 2015. D.A.R.E provides an opportunity for a police officer to join 5th and 8th Grade students at Wilshire Park Elementary, St Charles Borromeo School, and St Anthony Middle School in the classroom for positive interaction and classroom discussions. In total D.A.R.E Officer Schlingman taught in 11 classrooms with approximately 300 students. The 5th Grade curriculum is based on a lesson each week for 10 weeks. Each week the students were led in discussions on topics such as; responsibility, decision making, drug information (tobacco and alcohol), risks and consequences, peer pressure, and stress. Communication is also a key lesson in D.A.R.E. The students learn how to communicate with confidence, both verbal and non-verbal. At the end of the 10 weeks, the 5th Grade D.A.R.E students attend a graduation ceremony. The 8th Grade curriculum was led with 10 classroom lessons. The middle school program is based on “Keeping it REAL”. REAL stands for Refuse, Explain, Avoid, and Leave. These four resistance strategies help the students with their decision making. The students also learn about the facts on drug/alcohol use and abuse, prescription drugs, and internet safety. Building confidence in each student is helped by role playing. If the student learns to feel good and feel confident, they learn to make better choices. D.A.R.E also helps/teaches the students good decision making skills that help them avoid high risk behavior so they grow up healthy, safe and secure. Having an officer in the classroom also builds trust among the students and the officer.