May 18, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
Fifth graders at Northside Elementary School graduated from the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program in a ceremony Wednesday.
D.A.R.E. is a DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department-led series of classroom lessons that teaches fifth graders in DeKalb County how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives. Joseph Carroll of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department is the D.A.R.E Officer instructor for the fifth-grade classes at Northside Elementary School.
The 10-week course identifies fundamental, basic skills and developmental processes needed for healthy development including: Self-awareness and management, Responsible decision making, Understanding others, Relationship and communication skills, and Handling responsibilities and challenges.
D.A.R.E. believes that if you can teach youth to make safe and responsible decisions, it will guide them to healthy choices, not only about drugs, but across all parts of their lives. As they grow to be responsible citizens, they will lead healthier and more productive drug-free lives.
As part of the course, students prepared essays on what they have learned from D.A.R.E. and a winner was selected from each fifth-grade class. The overall essay winner at Northside Elementary School was Ja’Braelin Harlan-Cox. In addition to other gifts, Ja’Braelin received a $50 Roblox gift card from General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge Brandon Cox. Second place went to Aila Odom and Riley Scarbro received third place. Individual essay winners from each fifth-grade class were Ayla Bare, Kena Denton, Aubree Bruno, McCullan Bogle, Ana Pack, Priscila Rivera-Bazaldua, Kyler Perry, and Hayden Reed.
“I still remember the lessons I learned when I was a student in the D.A.R.E. program many years ago. I am a firm believer that knowledge is power and your knowledge about these things today will give you the power to overcome and defeat those in the future,” said Judge Cox in his remarks to the D.A.R.E. graduates.
For the first time, Circuit Court Clerk Susan Martin presented awards to students in an art contest held in conjunction with the D.A.R.E. program.
“I approached our D.A.R.E. officers this year and asked if we could have an art contest. I told them when I was a court reporter, I went to several different counties but the one that stood out was Wilson County because outside their courtroom they had some art from DARE students displayed there so I thought that was a good idea. They agreed so this year I have done a first, second, and third place and the art from these award winners will be displayed in my office at the courthouse for all your family to see,” said Martin.
Winners of the art contest were first place Lainey Dillard, second place Ellie Adkins, and third place Natalia Ferrell. Dillard also received a check for $50 from Martin.
In addition to Northside Elementary School Principal Karen Knowles, Assistant Principal Beth Pafford, and Guidance Counselor Linda Bush, Sheriff Patrick Ray welcomed special guests to the ceremony including State Representative Michael Hale, County Mayor Matt Adcock, Register of Deeds Daniel Seber, General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge Brandon Cox, Circuit Court Clerk Susan Martin, Trustee Sean Driver, Assessor of Property Shannon Cantrell, Road Supervisor Danny Hale, Recovery Court Coordinator Kate Arnold, and Director of Schools Patrick Cripps.