Approximately 700 sixth grade students from six Santa Maria-Bonita schools graduated from the Drug Abuse Resistance program (D.A.R.E.) on Dec. 11 at the Santa Maria Elks Lodge, according to the district’s public information officer, Maggie White. The students were taught by Al Torres, a retired Santa Maria Police Department officer. When the students completed the classroom curriculum portion of the D.A.R.E. program, each one wrote an essay promising to remain drug, alcohol, and tobacco free. The essays were reviewed, and a winner was selected from each school.
This article appears in Dec 17-24, 2015.
