The Clay County Sheriff's Office began teaching the D.A.R.E. program in Vermillion in the 2001-2002 school year. D.A.R.E. stands
for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. The D.A.R.E. curriculum is taught in the
fifth grade. The program is 10 weeks long. The
topics included in the instruction are self esteem, peer pressure, how the media
affects what we do, and responses to drug, alcohol, and tobacco offers. Deputies
Pederson and Anders are the D.A.R.E. instructors for the Clay County Sheriff's
Office. The deputies teach D.A.R.E. in the Vermillion Public Schools, St.
Agnes Elementary in Vermillion, and the Wakonda Public School. The students who graduate from the program receive a certificate and
also a t-shirt in recognition of their accomplishment and promise to stay drug,
alcohol, and tobacco free. The shirts and other gifts the classes receive
throughout the year are bought with contributions from court sentences for
alcohol and drug convictions. The entire D.A.R.E. program in Clay County is
paid for without solicitation.
Wakonda's DARE graduation, Dec.
13, 2005.
DARE instructor, Deputy Jeff
Anders presents the graduates with their certificates.
Irene-Wakonda 5th Grade March 11, 2008
DARE is taught to 5th graders at I-W Elementary
School by the Clay County Sheriff's Office. This is the first DARE class
since the two communities consolidated schools.
Maelynn Baca receives a $100.00
savings bond from Deputy Pederson as her award for winning the 2004 state
competition with her DARE essay.
The Clay County Sheriff's Office began teaching the D.A.R.E. program in Vermillion in the 2001-2002 school year. D.A.R.E. stands
for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. The D.A.R.E. curriculum is taught in the
fifth grade. The program is 10 weeks long. The
topics included in the instruction are self esteem, peer pressure, how the media
affects what we do, and responses to drug, alcohol, and tobacco offers. Deputies
Pederson and Anders are the D.A.R.E. instructors for the Clay County Sheriff's
Office. The deputies teach D.A.R.E. in the Vermillion Public
Schools, St.
Agnes Elementary in Vermillion, and the Wakonda Public School. The students who graduate from the program receive a certificate and
also a t-shirt in recognition of their accomplishment and promise to stay drug,
alcohol, and tobacco free. The shirts and other gifts the classes receive
throughout the year are bought with contributions from court sentences for
alcohol and drug convictions. The entire D.A.R.E. program in Clay County is
paid for without solicitation. 
