More than 400 fifth- and sixth-graders will graduate from the Santa Barbara Police Department’s D.A.R.E. program next week. The students will join the more than 17,000 previous graduates of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, which was established in 1987.

Officer Anita Chamberlain led this year’s class, teaching D.A.R.E. philosophy and discussing the perils of drug use and violence. Each student wrote a contest essay explaining lessons learned. Winning essays were selected from each class and participating school.

School essay winners are Joaquin Zarate of Cleveland School; Jackie Lopez of Franklin School; Maisie Zimmerman of Hope School; Dolan Ingraham of Monroe School; Chris Benwitt, a sixth-grader at Monte Vista School; Keiko Eastman, a fifth-grader at Monte Vista; and Destin Cavazos of Santa Barbara Community Academy.

The one-hour D.A.R.E. graduation ceremony will be held at the Arlington Theatre, 1317 State St., at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. The Santa Barbara High School Jazz Band will perform and the event is free and open to the public.