Last D.A.R.E. program graduation of the school year held at Lacoste Elementary, with the Sheriff’s Office honoring more than 120 5th-graders

The other half of the class of 5th-graders performing the D.A.R.E. theme song.

Half of the large class of 5th-graders at Lacoste are shown standing to perform the D.A.R.E. program theme song.

Runner-ups in the essay contest were, from left, Hayleigh Marshall, Caleb Meyers, Melody Fletschinger and Kada Duncan. Not shown is Nathan Cross. Behind them are Lt. Lisa Jackson, who heads the D.A.R.E. program; Sheriff James Pohlmann, instructor Sgt. Darrin Miller, Maj. Chad Clark, Lt. Richard Jackson, 5th-grade teacher Dina Martinez and Capt. Ronnie Martin.

Winners of the 5th grade D.A.R.E. essay contest at Lacoste Elementary were: in front from left, Jaidyn Cone, Tyler Gremillion, Kayleigh Richardson, Yasmine Gaber and Hallie Miller. In back, from left, are Lt. Lisa Jackson, who heads the D.A.R.E. program; Sheriff James Pohlmann, instructor Sgt. Darrin Miller, Maj. Chad Clark, Lt. Richard Jackson, 5th-grade teacher Dina Martinez and Capt. Ronnie Martin.

The Sheriff’s Office honored more than 120 fifth-graders at Lacoste Elementary school on May 6, who completed a 12-week program in Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., taught by instructors from the Sheriff’s Office.

It was the last D.A.R.E. graduation of the school year. More than 600 5th-grade students in eight St. Bernard schools graduated from the program given by St. Bernard sheriff’s officers Lt. Lisa Jackson, commander of D.A.R.E., and Sgt. Darrin Miller. The program, held in both public and private schools, was re-established in 2009, four years after Hurricane Katrina.

D.A.R.E. is aimed at trying to keep young people from using drugs including tobacco and alcohol or taking part in violence or bullying others.

Sheriff James Pohlmann told children at Lacoste they must concentrate on making the right choices to have productive lives, including listening to their parents and teachers and deciding who they should and shouldn’t associate with.

“I can tell you how drug use affects a family and it also affects the entire community,’’ the sheriff said, praising relatives of the graduates who turned out for the graduation ceremony for showing their support for the students.

He encouraged them to continue staying focused on their children, including talking often with them and looking for warning signs to help prevent drug use or be alerted to them actually using drugs.

Maj. Chad Clark, commander of the Special Investigations Division including the Narcotics Unit, said it takes the kind of education effort given by Sheriff’s Office drug resistance instructors at parish schools to affect the drug problem in America and solid law enforcement to stop drug dealers.

“We can’t arrest ourselves out of this problem,’’ Clark said, noting there are more than 100,000 deaths in America each year from drug-related causes, including some in St. Bernard Parish. The resurgence of the drug heroin is concerning law enforcement and health care officials nationwide.

But Clark said overdose deaths have been going down in the parish because of a combination of factors including law enforcement diligence.