DARE GRADUATION APPROACHING Another class of Grade 6 students is near the end of a learning process highlighting the consequences of drug, alcohol and tobacco use. The DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is used in the Jasper Elementary School each year and has been run the past five years by Const. Stephanie Lutes of the Jasper RCMP. She visits the school for 10 one-hour class sessions to talk to students about issues like drug and alcohol abuse and the dangers of smoking. She also relates those issues to social factors like peer pressure, self-esteem, media influences, smart and informed choices, and ways to handle the pressures. Lutes said the program has a number of goals including: * covering topics with the kids that may not be areas of discussion at home with parents, or perhaps making it easier for parents and kids to start talking about the issues that they will inevitably face as they enter junior and senior high school. * giving the kids the facts about things - separating the myths from the truths * exposing the students to a police officer both in uniform and in civilian clothing "I'm hopefully showing them that the police are there to help and can be approached and trusted," she said. For some of the classes...I attend in civilian clothing - this is a good way for the students to see that police officers are 'regular people.'" * allowing the students a time in which they can ask questions and get answers about those things that they are curious about. This year, 58 Grade 6 students took part in the program, which is wrapping up in early March. Earlier, the kids wrote an essay about what they learned in DARE, what the program means to them or how they plan to stay drug-free. At the end of the program, students will perform skits, which together with their workbooks and class participation, will be factored together for a student to be eligible for DARE graduation (which takes place on March 8). The program is a win-win situation for all those involved, according to Lutes. "There is always great support from parents, the schools and teachers, and the students enjoy the program." .
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