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A deputy’s final hoorah

Jim Marquardt celebrates his last DARE graduation

News Photo by Julie Goldberg Sanborn Elementary School fifth-grader Brooke Yuchasz and Alpena DARE Officer Jim Marquardt shake hands with officers from the Alpena Police Department and the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office and Alpena DARE Program board members during Sanborn’s DARE graduation on Friday.

OSSINEKE — The man who started the Alpena DARE Program 30 years ago celebrated his final graduation on Friday.

In a room filled with students, parents, some teachers, and officers from the Alpena Police Department and the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office, Alpena County Deputy Jim Marquardt celebrated his last DARE graduation with Sanborn Elementary School’s fifth-grade class.

In 1989, Marquardt brought DARE — which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education — to Alpena. DARE is a national program started in Los Angeles in 1983.

Friday’s graduation ceremony started with Marquardt giving a speech and thanking the staff of Sanborn, the Alpena police, and Alpena County Sheriff’s Office for helping with the DARE program. He also acknowledged his family, who was in attendance.

“This is not about me, it’s about those kids,” Marquardt said about the fifth-graders who graduated.

APD Officer Tim Marquardt and Jim Marquardt were the only active DARE father-and-son duo in the county.

Sanborn had two surprises planned for Jim Marquardt during the graduation: an audio recording from Laycie Bushey, current dean of students at Thunder Bay Junior High School and former teacher at Sanborn, who talked about how Jim Marquardt impacted her in the DARE program. There was also a slideshow with pictures provided by the Marquardt family.

“He’s had many of these, but this is the school where I grew up and I went to as an elementary kid,” Tim Marquardt said. “Having grown up in Ossineke, it’s fitting that his last DARE graduation is here at Sanborn Elementary.”

During the graduation, Alpena County Deputy Christina Bednarski was announced as the next Alpena DARE officer. Tim Marquardt said they will keep Jim Marquardt’s DARE legacy alive.

“She will work very well with Tim,” Jim Marquardt said.

Julie Goldberg can be reached at 989-358-5688 or jgoldberg@thealpenanews.com. Follow her on Twitter @jkgoldberg12.

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