Last night, students from every elementary school in the Warsaw Community School Corporation district gathered for the annual D.A.R.E. Graduation Ceremony at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center in Winona Lake.

Around 550 kids from Jefferson, Claypool, Lincoln, Eisenhower, Leesburg, Washington, Madison, Harrison Elementary schools and Sacred Heart Catholic School were graduated from the program at the ceremony.

Det. Brad Kellar enters on a police motorcycle, lights flashing.

Warsaw Police Department D.A.R.E. officers Doug Light and Joe Hawn presided of the festivities. The evening started with WPD Det. Brad Kellar, who entered on a police motorcycle with lights flashing, singing a spirited rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.”

Then Light and Hawn took over the proceedings, first showing a funny video parodying the Hanz and Franz bits from Saturday Night Live to “pump you up” for the D.A.R.E. Graduation. Then the two officers took to the stage.

“These kids are here to make a commitment,” said Hawn. He also noted the graduation ceremony was the first time the class of 2021 assembled in one place.

D.A.R.E. officers Doug Light, left, and Joe Hawn, right, give a gift to Mary Louise Miller, center.

The ceremony was dedicated to the late Dane Miller, who passed away in February. Mary Louise Miller was the honored guest at the ceremony, and Hawn and Light brought her on stage to present a gift in Miller’s honor.

Some of the D.A.R.E. students were picked to participate in a PSA video for the program. The video was shown, bringing cheers from the fellow students.

Then the keynote speaker, Retro Bill, was brought. Retro Bill is a radio and TV personality, producer, public speaker and official International D.A.R.E. Safety Buddy. Some may know him as the voice of Zeus the Guitar Lord on “Sponge Bob Square Pants.”

Retro Bill snaps a selfie with all the graduating D.A.R.E. students.

After getting the crowd hyped up, Retro Bill took the stage. He snapped a quick selfie with the crowd and got to his message.

Retro Bill encouraged the students, when they got home that night, to write down where they’re going with their life. “There are, sure enough, negative people out there, and they’re going to try to put you on a negative channel,” he said. He brandished a giant TV remote, and stressed to the kids the importance of staying on a positive channel.

He also touched on some of the negativity he’s had to deal with in his career. He read the surgeon general’s warning on the can of smokeless tobacco, and told the crowd about his own father’s struggle with dip and the effect it has had on his health.

Retro Bill, who’s high-piled pompadour bears a striking resemblance to the King’s, said he was a big fan of Elvis Presley. But, he told the kids about how Presley’s addictions ultimately took his life.

He gave some sound advice to students faced with the temptation of illicit substances. “The thing you do is you don’t do it,” he said.

After Retro Bills message, the students were given their graduation certificates.