TOP ESSAYS AWARDED AT DARE GRADUATION

PLYMOUTH - The message that Plymouth sixth graders learned during the
nine-week course of DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) may be the
most important lesson of them all.

The formal graduation for this year's class was held at Riverside
Intermediate Thursday. The program was launched in Plymouth in 1989.

Officer Mark Owen has been the DARE instructor over the last several
years. During the graduation ceremony, Owen said, "There are more
personal family stories now than ever before."

Each of the students in the class was asked to write an essay on what
they had learned. A panel then chose 12 of the authors to receive
special recognition at the ceremony.

Curtis Smith, Lauren Deisch and Dixie Wilkinson wrote the essays that
will be presented at the county banquet in 2010.

Smith wrote, "Cigarettes may look like what the cool people do, but
they're just a lie. Drugs look good on the outside, but the inside is
rotten and ugly. One day in DARE, Officer Owen brought in some
pictures of meth users. The one that shocked me the most showed a
lady. In her first picture, she looked like a nice young lady. She
even smiled for the camera that took her picture, even though she was
going to jail. Several years of meth and the picture was
unrecognizable."

He ended his comments saying, "Now because of DARE, I'm confident
drugs will not take control of my life."

Lauren Deisch was also very candid in her speech: "The first and most
important thing that we have to remember is that drugs are illegal.
Everybody acts like they know that, but they don't realize that they
could be doing jail time. No one will trust someone who has done jail
time. One time experimenting with drugs could cause us to end up
losing our rights."

She added, "After these few weeks, Officer Owen opened my eyes and let
me see the real picture. Drugs aren't just bad, they're horrible."

She challenged her classmates saying, "I, Lauren Deisch, pledge to be
drug-free my whole life. I'm not just talking high school years; I'm
talking my whole life. If I can do it, you can do it, too."

Owen shared his love of being a DARE officer.

"This is the best part of my job," he said. "It's better that
arresting someone or catching a speeder. This is why I'm a police officer."

Mayor Mark Senter was a guest at the graduation ceremony. He stressed
the importance of living a drug-free life, adding, "Listen to what
Officer Owen tells you."