Golden Valley, MN – A student from Grandview Middle School in Mound, MN won the Minnesota D.A.R.E. 2018 Essay Contest – Maquinna P. Maquinna’s D.A.R.E. Officer is Tim Sonnek with the Orono Police Department. As the First Place Winner, Marquinna was able to go to a Minnesota United game with her family and sit in the bench warmers with Orono Police Chief Correy Farniok. Thank you MN United for donating that prize. Following is the list of others who placed.
#1 – Maquinna P.
Grandview Middle School – Mound
DARE Officer Tim Sonnek
Orono PD
#2 – Allie S.
Horizon West Middle School
DARE Officer Ethan Meehan
Moorhead PD
#3 – Katherina W.
Triton Elementary-Dodge Center
DARE Officer Matt Stradtmann
Dodge Co. Sheriff’s Office
#4 – Addison B.
Visitation School – Inver Grove Heights
DARE Officer Mario Reyes
Mendota Heights PD
#5 – Megan H.
Horizon West Middle School
DARE Officer Ethan Meehan
Moorhead PD
#6 – Rohan R.
Sawtooth Mountain Elementary
DARE Officer Ben Hallberg
Cook Co. Sheriff’s Office
#7 – Dilyn B.
Dover-Eyota Elementary
DARE Officer Casey McFarlen
Olmsted Co. Sheriff’s Office
#8 – Gavin O.
Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic School
DARE Officer Tim Sonnek
Orono PD
#9 – Mustafa H.
Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion School
DARE Officer Nichole Korth
New Hope PD
#10 – Gavin S.
Oxbow Elementary
DARE Officer Jennifer Foster
Brooklyn Park PD
#11 – Nakrie K.
Horizon Middle School
DARE Officer Ethan Meehan
Moorhead PD
#12 – Payton G
Horizon West
DARE Officer Ethan Meehan
Moorhead PD
#13 – Finn B.
Visitation School
DARE Officer Mario Reyes
Mendota Heights PD
#14 – Connor N.
Horizon West
DARE Officer Ethan Meehan
Moorhead PD
#15 – Charlotte S.
Oxbow Creek
DARE Officer Jennifer Foster
Brooklyn Park PD
D.A.R.E. has become so much more than just a drug and violence prevention organization. Our D.A.R.E. officers are telling us that they work with children who need assistance in many additional areas. Law Enforcement are exposed to children in traumatic situations everyday—homelessness, mental health issues, domestic violence, abuse, neglect, lack of food/nutrition, and the list goes on.
The D.A.R.E. program is the largest community policing program in Minnesota. Annually we instruct between 60,000 – 70,000 Minnesota students. The key to the D.A.R.E. program is the development of a relationship between law enforcement and children (this allows for a positive first exposure). For community policing to work; there must be a trust and confidence building initiative. It improves public safety by eliciting the input of stakeholders and responds to a neighborhood’s unique cultural and socio-economic dynamics; it is community-centered and human-centered programming.
For more information contact Kathi Ackerman at Minnesota D.A.R.E., Inc. (952-484-2195).
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