DARE Graduates At Pierceton Graduate, Celebrate Sammons
May 1, 2018 at 2:53 p.m.
By Staff Report-
Throughout the past school term, students have been participating in Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE).
Studying under the direction of Pierceton Town Marshal Tim Sammons, the local DARE officer with over 20 years of experience who has graduated just over 7,000 students throughout his career, Pierceton’s three fifth-grade classrooms (Tasha Kinney, Bill Rhodes, and Beth Woodard) received their certificates of completion.
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The culmination of the program came when officer Sammons read through the three student winners from the essay competition. Each essay was read out loud to those in attendance and was a surprise to the student winners. In order to win, each student’s essay was read before a committee and three winners were chosen – one winner from each of Pierceton’s fifth-grade classrooms. In addition to the winners of the essay competition, three students were also recognized with the Mental Attitude Award.
The essay competition winners were Austin Shively, Juan Nino Macias and a third student who requested to remain anonymous. All three were given a stuffed animal version of the program’s mascot, Daren the lion. The winners of the mental attitude award were Emily Knight, Hannah Long, and Chris Menzie, who each received a commemorative DARE soccer ball.
Next, as each student's name was called for recognition, graduates each received a certificate of completion for the program, as well as official DARE pins, bumper stickers and water bottles donated by Paragon Medical. Of those in attendance on stage to honor the students were school resource officer Scott Geist, school board member Georgia Tenney, Superintendent Steve Clason, representatives from the Pierceton Town Board, as well as representatives from Paragon Medical.
“This is kinda bittersweet for me,” said Sammons during his speech, “because it’s my last DARE graduation.”
Sammons’ words did not fall on deaf ears as the audience let up an audible applause of respect for Sammons. While he is not yet retired, because Pierceton Elementary School has traditionally had fifth-grade students enter the DARE program, there will be no need for him to continue the program next year as the elementary will now host a sixth-grade student body beginning this fall. In this particular case, the current fifth-graders will have already participated in the program; therefore, Sammons will be retired before the current fourth-grade class becomes sixth-grade students, and for Pierceton Elementary the DARE program will have to wait and will have a new DARE officer by then.
“I hope that they find someone who can get as much enjoyment out of the program as I have,” said Sammons during his commencement speech.
Whitko Community Schools offered the following statement: “Officer Sammons has been a true blessing to the Whitko student body, and we cannot thank him enough for the children whose lives he has positively impacted, paths he has helped straighten, and for the lives he has certainly saved with his preventative initiatives taught through the DARE program year after year. For the time he has given to our local communities, we are very thankful and may never know the extent of how fortunate we have all truly been under his care.”
Throughout the past school term, students have been participating in Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE).
Studying under the direction of Pierceton Town Marshal Tim Sammons, the local DARE officer with over 20 years of experience who has graduated just over 7,000 students throughout his career, Pierceton’s three fifth-grade classrooms (Tasha Kinney, Bill Rhodes, and Beth Woodard) received their certificates of completion.
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The culmination of the program came when officer Sammons read through the three student winners from the essay competition. Each essay was read out loud to those in attendance and was a surprise to the student winners. In order to win, each student’s essay was read before a committee and three winners were chosen – one winner from each of Pierceton’s fifth-grade classrooms. In addition to the winners of the essay competition, three students were also recognized with the Mental Attitude Award.
The essay competition winners were Austin Shively, Juan Nino Macias and a third student who requested to remain anonymous. All three were given a stuffed animal version of the program’s mascot, Daren the lion. The winners of the mental attitude award were Emily Knight, Hannah Long, and Chris Menzie, who each received a commemorative DARE soccer ball.
Next, as each student's name was called for recognition, graduates each received a certificate of completion for the program, as well as official DARE pins, bumper stickers and water bottles donated by Paragon Medical. Of those in attendance on stage to honor the students were school resource officer Scott Geist, school board member Georgia Tenney, Superintendent Steve Clason, representatives from the Pierceton Town Board, as well as representatives from Paragon Medical.
“This is kinda bittersweet for me,” said Sammons during his speech, “because it’s my last DARE graduation.”
Sammons’ words did not fall on deaf ears as the audience let up an audible applause of respect for Sammons. While he is not yet retired, because Pierceton Elementary School has traditionally had fifth-grade students enter the DARE program, there will be no need for him to continue the program next year as the elementary will now host a sixth-grade student body beginning this fall. In this particular case, the current fifth-graders will have already participated in the program; therefore, Sammons will be retired before the current fourth-grade class becomes sixth-grade students, and for Pierceton Elementary the DARE program will have to wait and will have a new DARE officer by then.
“I hope that they find someone who can get as much enjoyment out of the program as I have,” said Sammons during his commencement speech.
Whitko Community Schools offered the following statement: “Officer Sammons has been a true blessing to the Whitko student body, and we cannot thank him enough for the children whose lives he has positively impacted, paths he has helped straighten, and for the lives he has certainly saved with his preventative initiatives taught through the DARE program year after year. For the time he has given to our local communities, we are very thankful and may never know the extent of how fortunate we have all truly been under his care.”
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