TAMAQUA, WEST PENN AND ST. JEROME STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM D.A.R.E. PROGRAM

A total of 173 fifth grade students from Tamaqua Elementary School, West Penn Elementary School and St. Jerome School were recognized during a D.A.R.E. graduation program held this evening Thursday (April 9, 2015) in the Tamaqua Area School District Auditorium.
Providing remarks during the program were Tamaqua Elementary School Principal Steven Behr, St. Jerome Principal Maryann Mansell and Tamaqua Police Corporal Dwayne Hacker.

Pictured from left are essay winners Braden Sherry, Jacob Mavricz, Jacob Basrawi, McKenzee Coombe, Makayla Kester, Bryn Clifford, and Madison Baddick. Also pictured is Tamaqua Elementary School Principal Steven Behr. Not pictured was essay winner Danny Brooks.

Top D.A.R.E. essay winners were Jacob Mavricz (Mrs. Faust’s class, Tamaqua Elem.), Bryn Clifford (Mrs. Bitter’s class, West Penn Elem.), Danny Brooks (Mrs. Setser’s class, Tamaqua Elem.), Makayla Kester (Mr. Gombar’s class, West Penn Elem.), McKenzee Coombe (Mr. Peters’s class, Tamaqua Elem.), Jacob Basrawi (Ms. Parker’s class, Tamaqua Elem.), Madison Baddick (Mrs. Roberts’s class, St. Jerome School) and Braden Sherry (Mrs. Berezwick’s class, Tamaqua Elem.).
The D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program has been in the Tamaqua Area School District and St. Jerome’s Regional School since 1990. In 1992, the Tamaqua Area D.A.R.E. Steering Committee was formed to assist the police officers with D.A.R.E. related activities. Since that time, the D.A.R.E. Program has expanded to include supplemental D.A.R.E. instruction at the 7th grade level.
DARE officers were Dwayne Hacker (Tamaqua Police Department), Mike Hobbs (Tamaqua Police Department) and Jason Lorah (West Penn Police Department).

Some volunteers pictured are, from left, Britney Rolko, Valerie Klingaman, Forrest Rolko, Olga Williams, and Cathy Klingaman.

Committee members stated that the event could not happen without all the parents who helped, and gave special thank you to Air Products for being a continued corporate sponsor for tonight’s graduation.
They also extended their appreciation to the Borough of Tamaqua and West Penn Township for providing the D.A.R.E. officers, to the Board of Education, and the administrators and teachers of the schools.
2014-2015 steering committee members consist of Michele Bittner, George Demetriades, Rochelle Evanousky, J.J. Fasnacht, Duane Frederick, Janet Greenberg, Mary Gurcsik, Dwayne Hacker, Mike Hobbs, Cathy Klingaman, Jason Lorah, Kerri Quick, Forrest Rolko, Lisa Shilko, Helen Walters and Olga Williams.
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TamaquaArea.com Video:
(Magic show was not included out of respect for the magician.)