Pictured is the DARE class. Standing: Miles Dise, Wesley Linke, Evan Ohlrogge, Megan Baysinger, Jessa Fischer, Kaylee White, Morgan Wolff, Carter Linke, Destiny White, Graceana Terkildsen, Officer Mark Johnson, Jenna Stephens, Mariah Jost, Ashlynn Larson, Taylor Lindsey and Mrs. Rosemarie Delvaux; kneeling: Megan Linke, Isabel Miller, Cage Boschee, Ely Garcia, Malachi Bruce, Zachary Kleinsasser, Weston Uttecht, Josie Weber, Brooklyn Swenson and Gail Kludt; not pictured: Taryn Ziebart and Sydney Gustin.

Woonsocket sixth grade students had their official DARE graduation on Tuesday, March 25, with friends and family invited to the program.
The DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program has a mission to teach students good decision-making skills to help them lead safe and healthy lives. The vision is a world in which students everywhere are empowered to respect others and choose to lead lives free from violence, substance abuse and other dangerous behaviors.
The students have been working with Officer Mark Johnson from the Huron City Police Department for two months, learning about resisting drugs, alcohol and tobacco and how to avoid peer pressure and handle bullying.
All of the students wrote an essay about the DARE program, and at Tuesday’s graduation these four winners presented them: Carter Linke, Megan Linke, Josie Weber and Morgan Wolff. Their essays will now be forwarded to a regional DARE competition.
Guest speaker was Gail Kludt, former Woonsocket DARE instructer. Gail talked to the students about having the opportunity to make important decisions now, to make better life choices that will have lifelong impact.
The students shared a powerpoint presentation they created, highlighting each of their DARE pledges, as well as pictures of their training with Officer Johnson.
The final part of the program was a wake-up drinking and driving poem read by sixth grade teacher Rosemarie Delvaux. It told of a student who did things right, but then was killed by another student who drank alcohol and left her lying on the road dying.