Students and Officers Honored at DARE Graduation Wednesday

The atmosphere was festive Wednesday at Abington Senior High School as sixth graders from each of the elementary schools graduated from the DARE program, which is administered by Abington police officers.

Each student was required to write an essay describing his or her experience in the six-week DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance and Education) program; the best essay from each school was read on the stage.

While reading his or her essay, each student was accompanied by representatives from his or her respective school and the school’s DARE officer.

(On a side note, it was strange that most of the music used to energize the crowd was written before the DARE graduates were born.)

Also honored during the graduation, for their years of service to the DARE program, were Sgt. Steve Fink, Officer John Matz and Sgt. Dan Buckley.

Buckley, speaking to the crowd, lauded Abington Superintendent Amy Sichel and Abington Police Chief William Kelly for being proponents of the DARE program.

According to Buckley, state funding for DARE ran out two years ago, and most law enforcement agencies stopped teaching the program. Buckley said the DARE program is supported through fundraisers like the Rock-A-Thon and donations.

And sixth-grade teacher (and Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year) Jeffrey Chou congratulated the students on their graduation.

“Our sixth graders are prepared to go—not only to go to the junior high, and the high school—but to go out into the great world and make the best lives they can make for themselves without feeling the pressures to turn to something else," he said.