Drug Abuse Resistance Education
D.A.R.E. & Safety Town
Officer Darren Ingham is responsible for teaching the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program at Normandy Elementary School, Bay Middle School, St. Raphael's School, and Bay High School. He also visits various preschools throughout the city to teach young children about stranger danger and the basic role of a police officer in the City of Bay Village. Many young children are afraid of police officers. The positive interaction from the D.A.R.E. officer lets children know that it is okay to talk to a police officer or to call the police department if they have a problem.
The D.A.R.E. program, partially grant funded through the State of Ohio, is curriculum based. Students are taught the same lessons in Bay Village as they would be anywhere across the country. The program is designed to educate students on the dangers of alcohol and other drugs of abuse, and to enforce a positive relationship between the students and the officers that interact with them. They are also taught the importance of making healthy decisions and to ensure a healthy, safe lifestyle. Students are given instruction in kindergarten, second grade, third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, and seventh grade. They are also visited by the D.A.R.E. officer during their freshman year of High School. The fifth grade classes are the most involved and students need to write an essay demonstrating everything they learned during their ten weeks of classes. At the completion of the classes, there is a formal graduation ceremony. The students are given a t-shirt, a diploma, and a gift bag as a reward for their hard work.
The Safety Town program is conducted each summer for children who will be entering kindergarten in the fall. The goal of the program is to teach basic traffic safety to children who will be walking or riding a bus to school. They are taught how to safely cross the street and the proper procedures for riding a bus. There is a small town set up at an elementary school and the students ride tricycles, learning the importance of proper bicycle safety. Among other topics, students are taught lessons on stranger danger, how to use 911, animal safety, gun safety, and train safety. Guest speakers visit the students and police officers with specialized training teach the students various safety lessons. At the completion of classes, the students have a graduation ceremony, and demonstrate all of their newly learned safety habits to their loved ones.
Both the D.A.R.E. Program, and Safety Town are assisted with donations from the community. The following businesses/organizations routinely donate supplies to make sure the programs run smoothly: Bay Village Dairy Queen, Minotti's, Heinen's, Subway, State Farm Insurance (Michael Farmer), Applebee's (Westlake), Georgio's Pizza, Chick Filet (North Olmsted) and the Normandy PTA. Without their generous donations, these programs would not be financially possible.
Information on both programs is available at (440)899-3463, or E-mail Off. Ingham at dingham@cityofbayvillage.com.