DARE Graduation

At the end of the sixteen-week program, a graduation ceremony is held. Since it is important for the whole family to celebrate the child’s accomplishments, graduation takes place at night instead of during the school day, allowing most parents to attend.

At the graduation itself, there are CARE students who speak, and there are also the DARE essay winners who read their pieces. Besides essay winners, there are the Character Awards, where teachers recommend a student who shows a positive attitude and models the behavior of a good DARE student. There is one DARE Character Award winning student per school.

All graduates receive a DARE t-shirt and a DARE card (which gets them discounts at local stores) and a certificate of recognition.

Parents are given a tip manual to help reinforce the message about the harmful effects of drugs, alcohol, and violence.

Everyone also gets a program to keep, like at a real graduation. The program has the names of the speakers and an encouraging message from the DARE officer.