On Wednesday, January 13th, 5th-grade students from St. Mary Catholic Community School in Crown Point graduated from the DARE program. DARE, taught by Crown Point Police Officer Stanko Gligic, is a 10-week program that teaches students the importance of saying “no” to drugs and alcohol, recognizing the signs of bullying, and teaches positive ways to make good decisions. “I was thoroughly impressed with Officer G. He was asked to meet with our students remotely, at first, converting his lessons to an online format. Eventually, he was allowed to come into the school. He was extremely understanding and flexible during these challenging times. His rapport with the students was incredible!” said St. Mary’s principal, Tom Ruiz.
The culminating event of the program, students were asked to write a pledge vowing to say no to drugs and alcohol. Each of the students read their pledge at graduation and every student took away a positive experience from DARE. Two fifth graders, Damian Orndorff and Uriel Reyes both said, “We learned the negative consequences of drugs and alcohol and feel more confident in being able to walk away from a bad situation.” Overall, each student took away a valuable lesson from the DARE program. “I am confident that the information learned in DARE is something I won’t forget, “said student Lorelai Bronson.
St. Mary Catholic Community School in Crown Point offers grade levels Junior Pre-Kindergarten (for three-year-olds) through grade eight. St. Mary’s faculty teaches a rich curriculum supported by cutting-edge technology. Faith, Academic Excellence, Life Lessons, and Compassion are the four pillars of the school. To learn more about St. Mary’s or take the school’s new “360 VIRTUAL TOUR,” visit stmarycp.org/school.
