Fifth graders in Lewisburg Elementary School for the past several weeks have been participating in the nationally known anti-drug D.A.R.E. program, now lead by newly minted D.A.R.E. officer Sergeant Jonathan Hughes of the Lewisburg Police Department.
As explained by its website, dare.org, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) was created in the early 1980s to push back against “unparalleled drug abuse among our youth” in Los Angeles. Since then, the program expanding into schools across the country, including Lewisburg in the 1990s.
In January, the first D.A.R.E. classes in West Virginia were taught in the Highlands Event Center in Ohio County.
After Hughes graduated from this program, Lewisburg Police Chief Chris Teubert announced Hughes’ new role to Lewisburg City Council, explaining that not only did Hughes complete the program but also earned a distinguished graduate award.
Hughes himself spoke to the importance of the program and what he aims to do as its new led officer.
“We’re just overwhelmed by the drug epidemic but that’s why I feel like it’s a blessing to have the opportunity to do this job. … I’ll talk to [students] about what they want to be when they grow up. Some want to be police officers, some want to be doctors, lawyers, and you try to tell them that the decisions that they make now and through school are going to affect their life moving on. These decisions follow you and you want to make the right decisions in every situation,” explained Hughes.
A fellow graduate of Lewisburg Elementary, Hughes participated in the D.A.R.E. Program himself as a fifth grader, with a teacher he now works with.
“The cool thing is my D.A.R.E. officer was Chief Teubert,” Hughes said. “So you think about the role model he was to me and how early in my life, he had an impact on me and is probably part of the reason I am a police officer.
But to think now I get to teach that program and impact someone the way he impacted me, it’s amazing.”
“It’s exciting to see someone we taught in D.A.R.E. years ago has succeeded and chosen to take the career path in law enforcement and teach D.A.R.E. himself,” saied Teubert. “It’s very exciting to see.”
Teubert also emphasized to local parents that Hughes would be a common face at the school and not to worry if they see his vehicle parked there.
“My goal is to … let everyone know we have a new D.A.R.E. officer and to inform the parents that you are going to see a Lewisburg police cruiser at the school a lot,” Teubert said. “We have a good working relationship [with Lewisburg Elementary]. D.A.R.E. has been going on there since the early 90s and is something that we’re going to try to keep going. I do think it has a positive effect and [Hughes] is a prime example of that.”
The D.A.R.E. program was created to convince kids to say no to drugs, alcohol, and other addictive substances, but Hughes explained that the program has expanded its scope and is trying to address the conditions that create addiction as well as the substances themselves.
“When you think of D.A.R.E., most people think of saying no to drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, and that’s part of it, [but] it is how to deal with stress, how to find out if other kids are dealing with stress, bullying is big,” Hughes explained. “There are enhancement lessons on vaping, stuff like that. Trends right now. How to have confident communication skills. It’s more than drugs and alcohol – that’s always going to be a part of it, … but we want kids to learn what peer pressure is, avoidance techniques, or just to not put yourself in the situation. It’s a pretty well-rounded program.”
So far, Hughes has done the first three of ten lessons over the past approximate three weeks.
“Each lesson has an outline,” Hughes said. “It was well thought-out and planned by someone outside of law enforcement. They put together a curriculum and they hit to where everything builds together. The first lesson I start with [is] the D.A.R.E. decision-making model. It helps kids break down a tough decision. … Last week we talked about alcohol and tobacco and the health effects. This week we’re going to be going into risk and consequences you have in everyday life. It builds throughout the ten lessons and hopefully by the end they have a great understanding and a better way of dealing with situations.”
These stresses are often not hidden from children, and Hughes noted many of them are aware of what’s going on at home and in their community.
“You’d be surprised what the kids know,” Hughes said. “They know everything. They can sit there, raise their hand and tell you maybe what their older siblings are dealing with. You can definitely have open discussions with these kids and you’ll learn a lot about what they know.”
The program is also often the first time many of the kids have met or spent any time around a police officer.
“A lot of kids have never been around a police officer, so they need to know that we’re there for them, we’re only there to help, and we’re approachable,” Hughes said. “We’re not mean. We’re not some of these things people could think.”
Last September, Lewisburg hosted the 13th annual D.A.R.E. To Cruz Car Show, a major fundraiser for the D.A.R.E. Program. Started by former Lewisburg Chief Tim Stover, Hughes took the reigns after Stover retired and looks to keep the show running for the next several years.
“Let’s keep it growing,” Hughes said. “Last year we added a live band that everybody seemed to love. We had some new entries last year. A lot of people seem to be enthused. The good thing is that Lewisburg, whether its the businesses or the community members, get behind the D.A.R.E. program, which is wonderful for me. They want to be a part of it, they know the money is going to a good cause and will help us fund [the program] for another year.”
With that goal in mind, Hughes emphasized the reason for D.A.R.E. in the first place – helping kids keep their lives on track.
“I think one important thing that I’ve always heard and I believe in is [that] it doesn’t matter if you impact one kid’s life or the entire classroom,” Hughes emphasized. “If you impact one kid’s life, it’s worth every second or every piece of energy that you put into it. We don’t want to give up on the kids and we don’t want to give up on anybody. … We’re here and we’re always going to have the program, at least as long as I’m here.”
“Mr. Wiley it is my hope that you will, upon completion of this sentence, conduct yourself in such a manner [to show] your desire not to go back to jail,” said Richardson after sentencing. “As has been pointed out, the felony convictions that appear on record would be sufficient to [apply] the ‘three strikes and you’re out’ law. … It appears to me that if you have not learned your lesson and do not maintain yourself appropriately following the completion of this sentence, you may be in the position to spend the rest of your life in prison. Accordingly, if I were you, I would consider this to be my absolute last chance.”
Read more in the Thursday, March 5, 2020, edition of The West Virginia Daily News.
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