D.A.R.E. TO BE INVOLVED

Officer Glad To Be Working With Classes

VIRGINIA -- Officer Tim Koivunen doesn't need much convincing to
teach his Drug Abuse Resistance Education classes in Virginia and
Eveleth-Gilbert these days.

He is greeted by high fives and in turn asks them what day it is.

"D.A.R.E. Day!" they shout to the instructor of the 11-week program.

In the beginning, "I was a little apprehensive about it," Koivunen,
a 13-year veteran of the Virginia Police Department, said about
taking over the program. He replaced Dennis Benz, who moved into a
detective's position.

Since then the father of two has developed great relationships with the kids.

"It's the best thing I've ever done," he said. "I'm just having a
great time doing this."

In a fifth-grade classroom recently in Virginia, Koivunen and the
students practiced responding confidently to different situations
they might encounter.

They included copying someone else's homework, taking money off a
teacher's desk, being offered a cigarette or stealing a wallet out
of a backpack.

The students had learned their lessons well. A better solution to
copying the homework was "ask the teacher (for assistance) or I can
help you," one student said.

Stealing wasn't the proper thing to do, either. "I don't think
stealing will be worth it," another student said.

The students' eyes lit up as they went over the topics with
Koivunen, exchanged the high fives and received "Say No to Drugs"
stickers from the officer.

Each interaction with the students makes the experience worthwhile,
just like some of his coworkers predicted. "They said it would be a
life changing experience."

Koivunen has made the impact in the fifth grade (the focus of the
program) and also in the other grades where he gives parts of the program.

When not in the Eveleth-Gilbert and Virginia elementary buildings,
he is working on D.A.R.E. fund-raisers like the curling bonspiel,
golf tournament and spaghetti feeds. He is also in the high schools
and at community events making presentations on the dangers of
methamphetamine.

Meth wasn't initially part of the 10-week D.A.R.E. program, but it
was added and the class was extended to 11 weeks.

While the parents, schools and Police Department have all
cooperatively made D.A.R.E. a success, he said peer pressure is the
No. 1 reason people starting using.

Koivunen wants all the kids to be prepared for that pressure, as
well. He said every student will be approached to try something
before they leave the school setting.

The question about the overall success of D.A.R.E. comes up
periodically and Koivunen stands firmly behind his program.

"Until someone can give me an answer that definitely works, we have
to keep trying."

It's not about D.A.R.E. anyway, he said. "It's about the
relationship with the kids."