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
Clay County Sheriff's DARE program receives funding from the United Way of
Vermillion.
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.
For more information about D.A.R.E.,
