As Dexter's fifth-grade students began a new chapter of their lives armed with confidence gained through the Drug Alcohol and violence Resistance Education program, is was the closing of a chapter for longtime Dexter DARE officer Cpl. Shirley Alexander.

Alexander presided over her last DARE graduation after serving with the program for nine years. Alexander's years with the DARE program have been marked by national recognition for the Dexter police officer, who is retiring from the force.

Alexander was chosen the Missouri DARE Officer of the Year in 1994, was honored by Missouri Police Juvenile Officers Association as Police Juvenile Officer of the Year and was able during her tenure to take a group of Dexter DARE students to the international DARE convention.

The DARE program is a curriculum that teaches the dangers of drugs and alcohol use and violence. It is used throughout the local school system, with a special emphasis on the fifth-grade students who will be entering middle school the next year.

Monday, students were issued several "dares" from local youth director Mark Threadgill, who was the guest speaker at the annual ceremony. Threadgill dared the Dexter students to take the lessons of the DARE program and use them in life.

"I dare you to be responsible -- to follow through on decisions made," he said. "I dare you to be respectful to those in authority -- parents, teachers, bosses, coaches, civic and government leaders and to yourself."

At the close of the graduation, an emotional Alexander said, "There's no words that can express what it all has meant," she said. "I just love those kids so much. I hope that I've touched their lives so that they can become good citizens and good leaders."