DILLON STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM DARE PROGRAM

ZANESVILLE -- Diana Lee made a promise to herself, her family, her
school and the community on Tuesday.

Lee, 10, a fifth-grader at Dillon Elementary School promised never to
abuse drugs.

The other 96 fifth-graders in the school made the same promise as they
graduated from the 17-week Drug Abuse Resistance Education program
conducted by the Muskingum County Sheriff's Office.

"This has been an exceptional year and an exceptional class. They know
about drugs, they know how to resist drugs," said Sgt. Russ Swope, one
of the DARE officers.

A special graduation ceremony was held at the school, where parents
and grandparents gathered to see the students get honored. Swope
encouraged the parents to take an active role in helping their
children stay drug-free.

The ceremony included a skit performed by the fifth graders to
emphasize the message of staying away from drugs. The loudest applause
came when the DARE officers "arrested" the students who were acting
like they were drinking alcohol and led them away in handcuffs.

"I learned what drugs can do to you, and not to use drugs and ways to
say no," said Zak Roberts, 10.

He thought it was nice that the DARE officers made a big presentation
with the gradation.

All the graduates received a DARE T-shirt, a certificate of completion
from the Ohio Attorney General's Office and other DARE
paraphernalia.

Emilee Winland, 11, thinks the lessons she learned in the DARE program
will stay with her for the rest of her life.

"I knew a little bit about drugs, but DARE taught me a lot more. I
learned how to say no and what to do if someone asks you to do drugs,"
she said.

As part of the program, the students had to write essays on what they
learned in the DARE program. Six of the students were chosen to read
their essays as part of the ceremony.

Jennifer Hutchinson attended the ceremony to watch her son, Adam
Randall graduate.

"I think it's an outstanding program. He would come home tell me how
it only takes one time for a person become addicted to a drug," she
said.

Hutchinson said oftentimes the parents don't have all the information
about drugs to help educate children, so the involvement of the
sheriff's office was essential.

She thinks it is important for the program to be in the schools, where
children will learn the lessons with their peers.

"The most influential people to them are their friends," Hutchinson
said.

Dillon Elementary isn't the only school holding DARE graduations this
week. Fifth graders from Frazeysburg Intermediate, Duncan Falls
Elementary and Hopewell Elementary also have ceremonies this week.

Sgt. Dan Marks, with the sheriff's office, said 491 students will
graduate this week, which will put the total for county's DARE program
at more than 5,100 since its inception in 1997.