Gibbs School D.A.R.E. Graduation

The annual fifth grade D.A.R.E  Graduation ceremony was held at Gibbs School on Wednesday April 13.  The event took place in the school’s gymnasium filled with students, faculty, parents and friends there to congratulate the 2011 graduates. Schools Superintendent Michael Polizzi, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Danielle Shanley and Chief Frank Papapietro were also in attendance to show their support.

The D.A.R.E program was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has proven so successful that it is now being implemented in 78 percent of our nation’s school districts and in more than 43 countries around the world.  D.A.R.E is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through 12^th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives.

The D.A.R.E curriculum is designed to be taught by police officers whose training and experience give them the background needed to answer the sophisticated questions often posed by young students about drugs and crime.  Prior to entering the D.A.R.E program, officers undergo 80 hours of special training in areas such as child development, classroom management, teaching techniques and communication skills. 

D.A.R.E goes beyond traditional drug abuse and violence prevention programs.  It gives children the skills needed to recognize and resist the subtle and overt pressures that cause them to experiment with drugs or become involved in violent activities.

Officer Renzo Trapani of the New Milford Police Department is the D.A.R.E program coordinator at Gibbs. Trapani went into each of the three fifth grade classes for an entire period to teach the D.A.R.E curriculum.  

Once a week is usually when the students have their D.A.R.E. lessons which started in October and ran through the beginning of April.   At the end of the program, the students are required to write an essay on what they learned throughout the year in their D.A.R.E classes.  Officer Trapani then chooses two students from each class who wrote the best essay to be read at the graduation.

This year’s winners were:

• Chloe Youngs
• Manisha Oza
• Kayley Coss Y Leon
• Elizabeth Akbulut
• William Kelleher
• Kelli Braun

Congratulations to all the graduates for their hard work – we are very proud of you.  Also, a big thank you to Officer Trapani for his dedication to this very important program that helps our students become more equipped on taking on all of life’s challenges.

Upcoming Gibbs School News:

• Spring Break, April 18 – 22
• School Budget Vote, April 27
• Fifth Grade Car Wash, April 30