On Friday, May 3rd, over 100 Reidland Intermediate School 5th-grade students received certificates for completing the DARE program. The curriculum was taught by Campus Police SRO Jon Wentworth over ten weeks, and the topics included responding to bullying, dealing with peer pressure, and making responsible choices. The classes held group discussions about real-life experiences and examples of being a responsible student. The students were also tasked with completing a final essay which mentioned useful information learned during the DARE program, how they have already utilized the DARE decision-making process, and how they plan to use what they have learned to make safe and responsible decisions in the future.
Three students (Claire Van Meter, Ella McDowell, and Ruby Bergman) were selected as essay winners and shared their work at the completion ceremony. A special thanks to RIS 5th grade teachers for supporting students during the essay process, and also to MCPS Food Services for providing a tasty and well-deserved afternoon snack for all of the DARE students in attendance.