Officers and educators joined 235 fifth grade students from throughout the Manchester Township School District to celebrate their graduation from the DARE program Tuesday morning.

DARE 5Taught by Manchester Township Police Officers Marc Micciulla, Shawn Cavalcante and Chris Cerullo over a 10-week period, DARE offers students a comprehensive drug and violence prevention curriculum that also teaches them about healthy life choices.

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“The program promotes a partnership among the police, schools, parents and children,” said Sgt. Charles Brooks, who supervises the DARE program in Manchester. “DARE teaches students how to deal with the dangers of peer pressure, drug and alcohol use, and violence. These are important life skills for students to have. We’re very proud of this class.”

The fifth graders gathered at Ridgeway Elementary School to celebrate their graduation from the program with a pizza party featuring DJ entertainment. A New Jersey State Police helicopter made a visit to the grounds, as did a Humvee and DARE car from the Manchester Township Police.

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Each DARE instructor offered remarks at the ceremony, as did the principals from each of Manchester’s elementary schools. The speakers recognized students for the hard work they put into successfully completing the DARE program and the support the children received from their parents.

The Manchester Township Police would like to thank the students, school district staff and New Jersey State Police for their help in making this year’s DARE graduation a success.