Students spend day with emergency workers and city officials
GENEVA - - Another segment of the Dare to IMPROVE program documentary was filmed Friday in Geneva.
The program, Dare to IMPROVE (Interactive Multimedia Partnerships for the Reduction of Violence Through Education), is in the development stage, but well on it's way. Students from Geneva Area City School District, as well as other schools spent the day at the Mission IMPROVE Conference.
While visiting the Geneva Police and Geneva Fire departments, talking with city leaders and spending time at UH Geneva Medical Center, students were filmed for the documentary.
The day began at the Geneva Police Department with more than 15 students. The student learned about the department and took a tour of the facility.
Police Chief Dan Dudik started the tour by having a few students wear police equipment, such as a bullet proof vest, a helmet, hold a police shield and a radar detector.
"Police have to wear or hold these items sometimes for hours at a time," he said.
If there is a bad situation this equipment is worn, Dudik said. Students were told about the belt officers wear with their uniform that weights about 20 pounds.
The belts hold an officers gun, radio, bullets, flashlight, and other items, he said. The students also toured the police department's dispatch center and jail.
The program is evolving, Dudik said. There have been changes to address the needs of the students.
"It is a good program and really grabs the students attention," he said.
It all has to do with drug and violence awareness and prevention, said Michael Whitely Ashtabula County Sheriff's Deputy and professor in educational psychology at the Kent State University (KSU) Geauga Campus. Whitely is working to establish the program for students.
The Dare to IMPROVE program actually is to take the place of the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. The DARE program stopped three years ago at the county level, Whitely said.
The only district still conducting the DARE program was Geneva, who piloted it in 1989. A few years later, the Ashtabula County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) got involved conducting the program until three years ago, Whitely said.
Geneva wanted to develop a program that could be utilized by all the county schools, Whitely said. The program is still in the testing phase and the documentary being filmed will be reviewed by the Geneva school district.
The Dare to IMPROVE is a collaborative effort of the Geneva school district, ACSO and KSU, Whitely said.
"It is a community based learning," he said.
The end result will be to establish conferences for students in grades fourth through sixth. Fourth grade students will spend the day at the Geneva City Hall with police, fire and government personnel, while fifth-graders will spend the day at UH Geneva Medical Center and sixth-grade students at the county level with the ACSO, county prosecutor and other county officials.
After touring the police department, students went to the Geneva Fire Department to tour the station, hold a mock fire drill and ride on a fire truck. It was then off to the hospital for a mock crash, a demonstration of the importance of Life Flight, and the emergency room.
The students also toured the hospital and participated in several breakout sessions to discuss reducing violence, positive alternatives, and health issues related to drugs and violence.
Earlier this year, students went to the ACSO, county court house and other county government offices. The students made models of guns, participated in a mock trial and went to seminars, as well as toured the facilities.