Fifth graders at St. Mary Catholic Community School in Crown Point recently graduated from the DARE program. DARE, taught by Crown Point Police Officer Stanko Gligic, is a 10-week program which teaches students the importance of saying no to drugs and alcohol, recognizing the signs of bullying, and teaches positive ways to make good decisions. Officer Gligic was recently named the State of Indiana DARE Officer of the Year.
At the culmination of the program, students were asked to write an essay about their experience in DARE class and each student was awarded a certificate. Daniella Flores, Emmett Reinke, Ana Bairaktaris, and John Builta were selected to read their essays at graduation. Two fifth graders, Mason Gettler and Jamia Prince said, “We learned about being an upstander (standing up for someone who is being bullied) and how many harmful chemicals are in cigarettes.” Overall, all students took away a valuable lesson from the DARE program. “I pledge to not do drugs and will remember all the valuable resources Officer G taught us,” said student Lexi Corley. Fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Heather Williams was recently named the State of Indiana DARE Teacher of the Year.
John Builta, Emmett Reinke, Daniella Flores, Ana Bairaktaris, Jamie Dumas (bicycle winner)
Back Row: Officer Stanko Gligic, Principal Tom Ruiz, Father Kevin Huber
St. Mary Catholic Community School in Crown Point offers grade levels Junior Pre-Kindergarten (for three-year-olds) through grade eight. St. Mary’s faculty teaches a rich curriculum supported by cutting-edge technology. To learn more about St. Mary School’s upcoming Open House events on January 24th from 6:00 to 8:00 PM and January 28th from 10:00 AM to noon, visit school.stmarycp.org.