Pubdate: Sun, 19 Mar 2006
Source: Mesabi Daily News (MN)
Copyright: 2006 Mesabi Daily News
Contact:  http://www.virginiamn.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2565
Author: Jim Romsaas
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

D.A.R.E. TO BE INVOLVED

Officer Glad To Be Working With Classes

VIRGINIA -- Officer Tim Koivunen doesn't need much  convincing to 
teach his Drug Abuse Resistance Education  classes in Virginia and 
Eveleth-Gilbert these days.

He is greeted by high fives and in turn asks them what  day it is.

"D.A.R.E. Day!" they shout to the instructor of the  11-week program.

In the beginning, "I was a little apprehensive about  it," Koivunen, 
a 13-year veteran of the Virginia  Police Department, said about 
taking over the program.  He replaced Dennis Benz, who moved into a 
detective's  position.

Since then the father of two has developed great  relationships with the kids.

"It's the best thing I've ever done," he said. "I'm  just having a 
great time doing this."

In a fifth-grade classroom recently in Virginia,  Koivunen and the 
students practiced responding  confidently to different situations 
they might  encounter.

They included copying someone else's homework, taking  money off a 
teacher's desk, being offered a cigarette  or stealing a wallet out 
of a backpack.

The students had learned their lessons well. A better  solution to 
copying the homework was "ask the teacher  (for assistance) or I can 
help you," one student said.

Stealing wasn't the proper thing to do, either. "I  don't think 
stealing will be worth it," another  student said.

The students' eyes lit up as they went over the topics  with 
Koivunen, exchanged the high fives and received  "Say No to Drugs" 
stickers from the officer.

Each interaction with the students makes the experience  worthwhile, 
just like some of his coworkers predicted.  "They said it would be a 
life changing experience."

Koivunen has made the impact in the fifth grade (the  focus of the 
program) and also in the other grades  where he gives parts of the program.

When not in the Eveleth-Gilbert and Virginia elementary  buildings, 
he is working on D.A.R.E. fund-raisers like  the curling bonspiel, 
golf tournament and spaghetti  feeds. He is also in the high schools 
and at community  events making presentations on the dangers of 
methamphetamine.

Meth wasn't initially part of the 10-week D.A.R.E.  program, but it 
was added and the class was extended to  11 weeks.

While the parents, schools and Police Department have  all 
cooperatively made D.A.R.E. a success, he said peer  pressure is the 
No. 1 reason people starting using.

Koivunen wants all the kids to be prepared for that  pressure, as 
well. He said every student will be  approached to try something 
before they leave the  school setting.

The question about the overall success of D.A.R.E.  comes up 
periodically and Koivunen stands firmly behind  his program.

"Until someone can give me an answer that definitely  works, we have 
to keep trying."

It's not about D.A.R.E. anyway, he said. "It's about  the 
relationship with the kids."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom