DARE and another essay

The 6th graders in our area participate in the DARE program throughout the year.  They learn about drugs, drinking, bullying and how to stand up for themselves and avoid peer pressure.  It is administered through the local police department.  An officer comes in once a week and visits with them and teaches them and creates   a relationship of trust and respect.  At the end of the year they have a graduation of sorts.  Every student has the opportunity to write an essay about what they learned and then they pick a winner from each class and they get to read the essay the night of graduation.  And guess who just happened to get picked??  Yep, that cute boy of mine. He did such a good job. They had a step stool for each of the other students to stand on when they spoke but they moved it out of the way for J.T. (he is getting so tall).  They then sang a song, received a certificate and the evening was complete.  My favorite part was when the police department stood and gave this group a standing ovation, it made my heart smile.