Officer Chris Rager from Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department has been teaching fifth-graders at South Whitley Elementary School the DARE program. The program began in 1993, and has brought valuable information to students for years since, according to teacher Mistie Potts. Rager has forged more than friendships with the students as he is an important role model and influence in their lives, she said. Students are learning about the dangers of drugs, and they learn how to implement life skills that will help them become good citizens in the community.