NEWARK WILL HAVE DARE PROGRAM NEXT YEAR

NEWARK - Local fifth-graders will continue to participate in the Drug
Abuse Resistance Education program next year thanks to the Kelley
School Parent-Teacher Association.

Youth Investigator and DARE officer Gary VerStraete made the
announcement during Kelley School's DARE graduation ceremony
yesterday, along with Kelley School parent and PTA President Jean Devlin.

Newark police officer Jay Warren, a certified DARE instructor, will
take over the program from VerStraete, who assumes Warren's role as
school resource officer.

"The program will be structured in the same way," said Devlin. "We
will be working with officer Warren during his time off from the
department. The PTA has already been to businesses asking for support,
and we have the support of the St. Michael School PTO, so we feel we
can keep this at the fifth-grade level. Our only fear [was] that we
didn't want to have to train someone to be the DARE officer."

In February, the village board told the police department and school
district it was cutting the DARE program, which educated fifth-graders
at Kelley School and St. Michael School and seventh-graders at Newark
Middle School. Mayor Peter Blandino said eliminating the program was
based solely on the village's tough economic conditions. In December,
Wayne County ended its county-wide DARE program for similar reasons.

Through private funding, however, the Kelley PTA won't have to involve
the village in the DARE program.

"We are going to take this one year at a time, but we want to have
enough money to support this program for quite a few more years to
come," Devlin said. "The community supports DARE and it's definitely a
worthwhile program. It's a positive influence on these kids at this
level."

VerStraete said the program was streamlined from 17 weeks to 10 this
year, allowing Warren to more easily handle his additional part-time
role. Warren will teach 11 fifth-grade classes at Kelley School and
two at St. Michael School next year. The seventh-grade DARE program
will not continue next year at this point, said VerStraete.

Devlin said plans are in the works for a DARE fund-raiser in October,
along with a general appeal to the community this fall.

More than 200 students received program completion certificates at the
graduation, held in the school auditorium with parents, faculty and
other guests. Each student made a pledge to remain drug-free and avoid
violence in a final essay required to graduate.

The crowd gave VerStraete a standing ovation for his years of
dedication to DARE in Newark.

Police Chief Richard Bogan was pleased to see the Kelley School
graduates prepare to move onto middle school.

"You are 200 new soldiers in the war against drugs," said Bogan.
"People here are providing you with the tools you need to live a good
life."