STUDENTS SAY NO TO DRUGS

PICTON - There are now 153 more Grade 6 students in Prince Edward
County who wouldn't DARE touch drugs.

Students from four elementary schools in the municipality attended a
graduation ceremony at Prince Edward Collegiate Friday, after
completing the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program this fall.

Led by Const. Kim Guthrie, the community service officer for the
Prince Edward Ontario Provincial Police detachment, students learned
about the perils of drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

Guthrie said she was overwhelmed by the students' response to the
program during the initial sessions.

"The kids really seemed to love the program and I am overjoyed that
they took so much more from it than I ever thought they would," she
said during a luncheon preceding the awarding of certificates. "They
were so eager to learn and every one of them participated so willingly."

Over a 10-week period, Guthrie, along with program mascot Daren, an
11-year-old stuffed lion symbolizing strength and courage, visited
each classroom weekly delivering her message. Students from Kente,
Massassaga-Rednersville, Pinecrest Memorial and Queen Elizabeth in
Picton participated while four different Prince Edward schools will
begin the sessions after Christmas.

The program was established by the Los Angeles Police Department and
the city's school board in 1984. Guthrie had to undergo an intensive
two-week training session in Aylmer to obtain certification to become
a DARE officer.

Students in Prince Edward County are the first in the Quinte region
to use the program.

During Friday's ceremony, two students from each participating class
read their final reports.

Tailer Thompson, a Grade 6 student at Pinecrest Memorial, pledged to
never smoke, do drugs or drink alcohol before he was 19. He also said
DARE taught him how to avoid trouble.

"We are getting to the age where people might tell us they don't want
to be our friend if we don't do what they want us to, but we learned
if they are our real friend, they won't treat us like that," he said.
"Const. Guthrie taught us that there is strength in numbers and you
can always just walk away from people like that."

Sydnee Mulridge, one of 39 Queen Elizabeth students to complete the
program, also said she is not afraid to say no.

"Const. Guthrie taught us how to deal with people who might offer us
drugs and if you just say no - it's cool," she said. "I think one of
the most important things she taught us is that it's a lot easier to
stay out of trouble than it is to get out of trouble."

For the Prince Edward students, DARE replaced the VIP program which
still runs at a number of other schools in the Hastings and Prince
Edward District School Board.

Superintendent of Instruction David Fox attended Friday's ceremony
and said the program could make its way into other school groups in the future.

"I know Const. Guthrie went through extensive training in order to
get certified to be a DARE instructor and the problem is we have
eight police forces in our board area," he said. "You have to have
someone who is qualified to run the program and from what I am
hearing about it, we would certainly entertain the idea of expanding
it to other areas - we just can't do it alone."