Encouraging Conversations Through D.A.R.E.
Each year at Granville Elementary School, sixth grade students take part in a 10-week DARE course. While the course historically has educated students about the dangers of drug use, School Resource Officer Thomas Zovistoski believes the program can do more.
Officer Zovistoski has been teaching DARE, which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, in the Granville Central School district for the past six years. The last two years, he’s also served as School Resource Officer. He credits his time as SRO for allowing him to have a stronger relationship with students and adjust what he discusses during DARE to better meet their needs.
To help make students feel more comfortable during the 10-week program, Officer Zovistoski allows the first session to be an open dialogue where students can ask him questions on a wide variety of topics. Some students ask questions about his time with the Granville Police Department. Others present questions that deal with his experience teaching previous DARE classes, and what lessons he’s provided other students over the years.
One of the most impactful items students use during the course is the DARE Box. The box sits in each of the sixth grade classrooms and allows students to anonymously submit questions they don’t feel comfortable asking out loud in front of the class. Officer Zovistoski is the only person who goes into the box, and addresses each question at the beginning of every class to make sure everyone has their voice heard.
While the class talks about the dangers of drugs and drug use with students, it also focuses on peer pressure and how students should respond in situations where they’re being asked to do something they don’t want to do. Officer Zovistoski refers to these moments as behavioral situations that lead to consequences. His goal throughout the 10-week course is to help students be prepared for how to respond if they find themselves in these situations.
“Not all of these scenarios will involve drugs or vaping or something of that nature. Sometimes, it’s a student simply being asked to do something they don’t want to do and not understanding that they can say no. Our students need to be comfortable with saying no in all sorts of situations.”
Sixth Grade Teacher Faith Halnon says she values how Officer Zovistoski makes the topics discussed in the classroom more relatable for her students. She said having someone speak to her class using the foundation of knowledge the students provide themselves brings weight to the discussion.
“In a lot of cases, these topics can be uncomfortable for students to discuss,” said Mrs. Halnon. “They’re important discussions, and it’s not that the students don’t want to talk about it. They just don’t know how to start the conversation. That’s where Officer Zovistoski really helps them because he brings examples or scenarios that he’s already experienced, and it helps students feel like they’re not the only ones going through something.”
Mrs. Halnon feels a benefit to the 10-week program is that it creates a space where students can explore constructive curiosities. She says her students have questions about interactions they have either heard about or have personally experienced in the community.
“Having someone like Officer Zovistoski, who works in this community and has seen first hand some of the scenarios that are brought up in class, really helps my students feel more comfortable.”
Sixth Grade Teacher June Brown credits Officer Zovistoski with helping students better understand the world around them. She says the transformation her classes experience from the first week of the program to the last is a reflection of the lessons taught by the district’s School Resource Officer.
“D.A.R.E. isn’t a cookie cutter course,” said Mrs. Brown. “Officer Zovistoski does a wonderful job addressing the topics our students are most curious about. The challenges a student may face today aren’t the same that a sixth grader may have faced five years ago. Peer pressure comes from different places than they did a decade ago. Mr. Zovistoski addresses the concerns a student may have today, but also provides guidance on how to address similar concerns later in life.”