DARE STUDENTS COMPLETE PROGRAM

Students Who Dare To Be Different In Opelousas Are Being Rewarded For Their
Decision.

There were 46 students at Opelousas Catholic school who graduated from this
semester's Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. They are among 220 who
will graduate this week.

Newly-named student role model Meredith Richard, a seventh grader, told the
graduates the challenge to be drug free will probably come later in life.

"The challenge will come as you move into junior high school and then even
more so when you move into high school," she told DARE graduates Monday.

Principal Perry Fontenot said the Opelousas DARE program, which has been
around for about 10 years, is aiding in helping to keep children away from
drugs.

"It is one thing to tell students to say no to drugs, but another to give
them what they needed - the skills to say no," he said.

DARE officer Capt. Martin McLendon said there are eight steps to keep
children off drugs. Richard alluded to them in her speech. She told
students they can walk away, change the subject, repeat 'no' and the most
important way to avoid drug activity is to associate themselves with
students who are involved in positive activities.

"If you want to avoid drugs and violence, you must stay in the right
crowd," she said.

An essay contest winner, Dylan Tabb, credited police officers like McLendon
for helping him to stay away from drug activity and violence.

"I think that the world needs more police officers like ours that teach
support, and care about how we live. If we all put our minds to DARE, we
can reach our goals," he said.

Tabb added that his involvement in sports helps him to stay away from drugs.

Another winner, Chandler Cart, said the DARE program has made him aware of
how harmful drugs can be to the human body.

"The abuse of drugs can ruin your life. God has given us one precious life
to live. I choose to live my life to the fullest. Because of DARE, I choose
to be drug free," he said.

Tabb and Cart were first-place essay contest winners in their classes.
Other winners include: second-place winner Andrea Ducharme and third-place
winner Aimee McCormick from teacher Joey Tuminello's class. In Judy
Courville's class the second-place winner is Kaylin Lalonde and the
third-place winner is Katie Guidroz.

Cresswell Elementary also had a DARE graduation Monday. On Wednesday
Southwest Elementary will have a DARE graduation at 9 a. m. Park Vista
Elementary will have its DARE graduation at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

McLendon said the graduations are for the ending of the first part of the
DARE program this year. The second half of the program begins after the
holidays. Other graduations will be held in the spring.