Dan Rittenhouse dared to make a difference

An exciting yet emotional day at LT Ball Intermediate School as students and staff gathered in the hallway to clap out the district's D.A.R.E. Officer Dan Rittenhouse.

A certified D.A.R.E. Instructor, Rittenhouse had spent the last 18 years presenting the D.A.R.E. curriculum to the LT Ball fifth graders.

“The officer that previously ran the D.A.R.E. program was going to retire, but I had helped him with different school functions, and it kind of grew on me.” Rittenhouse said in a recent interview. “He was real concerned about the program staying active and being stable. It turned out to be the best thing that’s happened to me.”

Rittenhouse admitted that it could be challenging to connect with fifth graders when you’re competing with social media. “I tried to get them to think and make good decisions in life. I would repeatedly say to them, ‘If you make good decisions, you’ll have a good happy life. If you make bad decisions, you’re going to be miserable.’”

Officer Dan Rittenhouse has been serving the city for more than 30 years, 18 with the district. Friday, September 6 was Rittenhouse's last day before he retires from the Tipp City Police Department. Rittenhouse says he was not expecting to receive this much love on his last day.

Along with the clap out, kids made posters and artwork for Rittenhouse to take home. Rittenhouse says in his retirement he's going to focus on his farm, running, and getting in shape. Rittenhouse is going out with an excellent record of public service. In addition to his D.A.R.E. accomplishments, he was named Tipp City’s Officer of the Year in 2022, and Ohio D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year in 2023.