STUDENTS EMBRACE DARE'S ANTI-DRUG MESSAGE

"Unfortunately, a little while before I was born, I lost a grandfather
to cigarettes," said Kylie Schultz in an essay written for the drug
education program DARE.

"I never got to know him because he got lung cancer and died. He died
at 69. He started smoking as a teen and smoked two packs of cigarettes
a day. He died younger than his seven siblings.

"Luckily, my grandma is a smart person. When my grandpa was alive and
smoking, she wouldn't let him smoke in the house so it wouldn't affect
the kids like it does in many houses in the world."

Kylie, a 10-year-old fifth-grader at King Street Intermediate School
in Danbury, knows it's wrong to use drugs or alcohol or smoke cigarettes.

In her DARE class this year, Officer Brian Hayes taught her facts of
using these drugs, including how 400,000 people in the United States
die from smoking-related illness each year.

"I want to stay healthy. When I'm grown up and have kids, I want to be
a role model to them and teach them what Officer Hayes taught me, so
they can make the right choices and not use drugs," Kylie wrote.

"Officer Hayes taught us that drugs can hurt other people, too. Like
my grandmother, who now lives her life as a widow, and my dad and his
seven other siblings, who now don't have a father.

"It even affected me and most of my cousins, who still wonder what he
was like and how great it would be if he didn't smoke so we could
spend time with our grandpa."

Kylie hoped her essay would inspire other kids. "People die using
drugs and alcohol. It's not just a fantasy. It really happens."

Whether it's DARE or other messengers, kids need to hear about the
dangers of drugs, alcohol and tobacco. They are glamorized on
television and in movies more than ever, said Gail Kaplan, a counselor
at Child and Adolescent Treatment Services at Danbury Hospital.

The average age of a child taking his or her first drink is about 11.
Every year, 4,400 children between 12 and 17 start smoking.

Parents should take the opportunities that arise to discuss -- rather
than preach -- the dangers of drugs and alcohol. And they should
relate it to their child's life, like how cigarettes cause bad breath,
Kaplan said.

Parents should send a clear message that it's not OK to use cigarettes
or drugs. They are all dangerous.

Clearly, Kylie saw the relevance of DARE's message. That impressed her
principal at King Street Intermediate School in Danbury, Linda Schreiner.

"She has seen this linked to her life at a very young age," Schreiner
said. "It's so key."

Kaplan said parents should teach children how to solve their own
problems with friends or teachers. Those skills will help them later
to choose not to use drugs to self-medicate when they are troubled
about something.

Kylie thanked Officer Hayes for helping her stay safe. "And Grandpa, I
wish they had DARE for you, so you would still be alive today and
still be going strong."

I suggested to Kylie that her essay was like a present to her Grandma
Mary. After all, she showed all of us how smart her grandma was to
protect her children and told us all how she wished she knew her
Grandpa Bob. You can't imagine how Kylie's face lit up.