STUDENTS DARE TO RESIST

LACOMBE- More than 30 Grade 6 students at the Lacombe Christian
School (LCS) became the first classes at the school to graduate nine
weeks of learning to resist drugs and alcohol.

In a ceremony Thursday, the students were recognized for successful
completion of the Drugs Awareness Resistance Education (DARE)
program, which previously was not offered at LCS.

"We'd been trying to get this program in for a couple years and now
that we have it, we're so excited," said LCS vice-principal Anelia
Wierbos. "I certainly hope we're able to offer it to the Grade 6
classes each year. The constables who taught the program did an
excellent job and anytime we're able to get the kids excited about
learning something that's such a plus. And they were excited about
DARE from day one."

The nine-week DARE program, which is ran by members of the Lacombe
Police Service, gives the students a no-nonsense look at the dangers
of drugs and alcohol and gives them the tools they need to resist the
temptations.

According to officers who teach the program, it is made up of three
key components: the parents, who help guide the students through
life; the school community, from which a majority of student learning
occurs, and the police, who use the program not only to teach, but to
establish relationships with young members of the community.

Lacombe is the only community in Central Alberta where all Grade 6
students - regardless of which school system they are enrolled in -
receive the program education.

"That is something we can take pride in, because it means that every
Grade 6 student attending school in Lacombe has this program offered
to them," said Cst. Bryan Zens, school resource officer and DARE
instructor with Lacombe Police. "Previously, only the schools in the
Wolf Creek School Division in Lacombe had the DARE program in place.
Now it has been established not only at LCS, but at the Catholic
school and at the Parkview Adventist Academy also.

"Drugs and alcohol use, and even the abuse of them, crosses
boundaries so we're trying to take a very proactive approach to
addressing those problems by offering this program to students."

Of the 14 officers who make up the Lacombe Police Service, five have
received the DARE training. And while they are there to teach the
program, the officers do a fair share of learning themselves.

"It was very interesting to see how these kids looked at drugs and
alcohol," Cst. Steve Murray told the graduation crowd. "When we
started talking about how bad smoking is for you, and how bad drugs
and alcohol are, they had some very creative ideas of how to limit
the presence of those substances in society and that was interesting
for me to learn.

"The class I worked with came to the conclusion that if tobacco use
is so bad for you, it shouldn't be allowed and when they're older,
they've told me they're going to change the laws, so that each year,
the age limit for who can smoke is going to go up until it reaches
100. When these students become leaders, they've already got the
tools they need to resist drugs and alcohol."

In addition to some proud parents, the DARE graduation at LCS also
drew attendance from Lacombe Police Service Chief Gary Leslie, MLA
Ray Prins and members of the town's emergency services, who all took
part in some enthusiastic tours of emergency vehicles following the ceremony.

Founded in Los Angeles, US, in 1983, the DARE program is now
implemented in more than 43 countries around the world, educating
thousands of school children each year.

In Canada alone, there are more then 67,000 students being taught the
program by more than 850 DARE officers.