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D.A.R.E. Graduation Raises The Roof

Jasmina Meyer/Highlands Today

From left: School Resource Officers with the Highlands County Sheriff's Department Tom Ouverson, Mike Gilliam and Brian Giguere take part in the "This Could Happen to You" skit on stage during the D.A.R.E. Day Celebration on Thursday at South Florida Community College.

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By MARC VALERO

Highlands Today

Published: February 6, 2009

SEBRING - With dancers, singers, a band, skits, laughs, cheers plus a host and plenty of special guests, this celebration had all the ingredients for a television variety show.

But this was more than a show; it was the 15th annual D.A.R.E. Day Celebration to highlight the county's fifth-graders' commitment to be drug free.

Along with reinforcing the message of making the right choices and steering clear of drugs and alcohol, the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) celebration Thursday also featured some big "thank yous" for Highlands County Sheriff's Sgt. Monica Sauls, who is being reassigned away from the program.

With about 1,000 fifth-graders and scores of school officials in attendance at the South Florida Community College Auditorium, Sauls opened the program with some background on D.A.R.E.

D.A.R.E. has grown to include not only the Highlands County Sheriff's Office, but also the Avon Park and Sebring police departments and from one deputy to about eight officers and deputies, she said.

"We are movin' and groovin' and growin' and you are part of this," Sauls said to the fifth-graders. "Today is to honor you."

Sauls led the students in the D.A.R.E. motto: I am special; I am unique; I can do anything; I stop and think.

Sauls created the motto 15 years ago when the D.A.R.E. program started in the county.

D.A.R.E. is about making the right choices, Sauls said: Finding out what the consequences are, doing the right thing and re-evaluating to make sure the right thing was done.

Students saw a skit on making right choices. The skit is usually the highlight of each year's D.A.R.E. Day Celebration.

School resource officers played guys discussing a drug deal. After the deal went down, two sheriff's office detectives rappelled on ropes from the auditorium's ceiling to the floor while other deputies closed in to nab the perpetrators.

The "swift" action prompted "oohs" and "ahhs" and finally cheers from the students.

"I don't know about you, but I'm excited," Sauls told the students. "Did you get all of that?"

"Yeah," the students roared in response.

Sebring High School student Ricki Albritton, who is a national D.A.R.E. youth advisory board member, told the students she was giving them a GPS, but this GPS did not involve a global positioning satellite.

"This is an out-of-the-ordinary GPS," she said. "This is a three-step plan; this is a goal, a plan and start now."

Albritton described her goals and plans when she was in fifth grade, and reminded them that to achieve their dreams they needed to be drug and alcohol free.

Near the end of the program, Superintendent Wally Cox was among those who recognized Sauls' work with students over the years.

"I want to thank you so much for what you have done for the students," he said. "You've not only impacted the students, but impacted the staff.

"Our county and school system is very blessed to have you lead the D.A.R.E. program for such a long time."

The California Toe Jam Band performed a song written in honor of Sauls.

They sang - "we don't want to say goodbye to you ... now wherever you may go and whatever you may do these four boys are going to miss you."

Sauls has been reassigned to the sheriff's office road patrol division. Sheriff's Sgt. John Barcinas has succeeded her as head of the D.A.R.E. program and supervisor of the school resource officers.

"I got very emotional too, because it's extremely bittersweet," Sauls said. "My entire career has been centered on working in some way shape or form with young people."

Sauls said she is excited about an opportunity to try some new things.

Highlands Today reporter Marc Valero can be reached at 386-5826 or mvalero@highlandstoday.com

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