Sixth graders eagerly raised their hands to answer questions from Village of Mamaroneck detectives Chris Jaeger and Frank Maresca about bullying and what it means to be an upstander. They also openly shared their experiences and discussed a variety of scenarios and how to appropriately react in different situations.

The lesson was part of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program, which after a decadelong hiatus is underway for sixth graders at Rye Neck Middle School. Led by detectives Jaeger and Maresca, the program aims to empower students to make healthy and responsible choices.

“[The students] definitely engage with stories and examples,” Maresca said. “They’re very involved; they know a lot of things that we think they might not know, so it’s nice when they say it and bring it up.”

Throughout the six-week-long program, detectives Jaeger and Maresca will cover a wide range of topics from bullying to peer pressure and internet safety, and educate students about the health effects of drug, alcohol and tobacco use. In addition, the program aims to establish a positive relationship between the police department, students and community.

“The main thing is to help kids make wise choices,” Jaeger said.

During the last week of the program in April, the students will participate in “Jeopardy!”-style games to summarize what they’ve learned through the program.

Rye Neck Middle School sixth graders delivered more than 80 paper tissue flowers to first responders at the Westchester County Convention Center on Valentine’s Day. The flowers were brought to nurses, national guard members, clinicians, first responders and other volunteers who are helping in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines at the state-run site.

“The sixth graders were excited to say Happy Valentine’s Day and thank you to the volunteers who are helping to provide COVID-19 vaccines,” said Allison Reynolds, a math teacher and sixth grade adviser. “COVID has changed their lives, it has changed all of our lives, and they know that the vaccine is the greatest step towards a return to normalcy that they can ask for.”

The students have begun discussing what they can do next to continue to let the volunteers know that they are appreciated.