Owensboro Catholic Schools teacher Allison Johnson was recently awarded the Kentucky D.A.R.E. Educator of the Year award.
Johnson has used the D.A.R.E. program in her 5th-grade classroom for the last 3 years, and for the upcoming year has decided to return to the K-3 campus to teach 2nd grade. Deciding to return to the K-3 campus was difficult for her, she said.
“Leaving the D.A.R.E. program was one reason it was a difficult decision,” she said. “The D.A.R.E. program is such a vital and important program for 5th-graders to be involved in.”
D.A.R.E. began in 1983 as a drug resistance educational program for elementary schools. It was specific to providing information about specific drugs and their negative effects. D.A.R.E. officers are highly trained law enforcement officers who visit local schools to implement the programs. A middle school and high school curriculum was introduced and implemented in later years.
Owensboro Police Department Lieutenant and previous D.A.R.E. officer Courtney Yerington has been involved with D.A.R.E. for several years and served as the Kentucky D.A.R.E. president this past year. She said the program’s curriculum has changed throughout the years and the mission of the current program is to teach students good decision-making skills “to help them lead safe and healthy lives.”
“We develop relationships with them so they can see us in a different light,” Yerington said.
The local D.A.R.E. officers visit kindergarten through 8th-grade schools in the Owensboro Public and Owensboro Catholic school systems— with roughly 3,800 students being served each year.
Johnson said that through the program, students are provided tools and knowledge needed to make the right decisions about drugs, alcohol, bullying, violence and other dangers before they move into their teenage years.
“Our D.A.R.E. officers work hard to make the program fun and engaging while still emphasizing the importance of being informed and aware of these dangers,” Johnson said.
Yeringoton nominated Johnson for the award for the work that Johnson and another 5th-grade teacher, Sandy Fleming, did during the pandemic to make sure the program was available for students.
“We had to do all the sessions through zoom during the 2020-2021 school year and met for in-person sessions for this past school year,” Johnson said. “I believe in the program so deeply and it was important to make sure the students didn’t miss out.”
It was this level of importance and engagement that Yerington said aided in her nomination.
“She has taken the importance of what we teach and helped students apply it and process through it in the classroom,” Yerington said.
