In other news ...

Leawood, KS - July 27, 2006

Leawood D.A.R.E. Officer Randy Wiler was selected as the International D.A.R.E. Officer of the year for 2006. Wiler was notified by D.A.R.E. America earlier this month of his nomination.

Wiler has been a D.A.R.E. Officer since 1989 and came to Leawood in 1990 where he continues teaching D.A.R.E. in three elementary and one middle school.

Wiler is best known as an expert in bullying prevention and currently serves as the director of the Kansas Bullying Prevention Program and vice-president of the International Bullying Prevention Association. He was the first law enforcement officer in the United States to be personally trained by Dr. Dan Olweus, research psychologist from the University of Bergen Norway and renowned as the father of bullying research world-wide,to become a national trainer in the Olweus Bullying Prevention program.

Wiler has written two supplemental bullying prevention lessons that are being included in the D.A.R.E. program. "These two lessons are not a comprehensive bullying prevention program for schools- but more of an awareness activity for students to determine if they can do more to prevent bullying in their school," Wiler said.

The International D.A.R.E. Officer of the year selection was presented July 26th at the International D.A.R.E. Officer's conference in Orlando, Florida.

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