JAL STUDENTS DARE TO SUCCEED

For some, this question is not an easy one to tackle. But a class in
Invermere demonstrated this week that they can deal with the toughest
of questions with respect, confidence and some common sense on their side.

The Grade 5 class at Invermere's J. Alfred Laird elementary school
has just finished the final class of the D.A.R.E. program. D.A.R.E.
stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education and aims to empower school
children with facts about drugs so they can resist the pressure to
become involved in them.

As part of their last class, students played a game with Const.
Balderston, the local RCMP officer teaching the class. They were
asked some tough questions about how they would react to situations
involving drugs and alcohol and were also able to write down
questions and submit them through an anonymous question box.
Balderston, who has been teaching the course now for a few years
admits that, despite their young age, students can come up with some
surprising comments, particularly when it comes to areas like advertising.

"It blows your mind to see how intelligent kids are at this age when
you play them an ad and ask them, 'What are they trying to tell you
in this ad?'" said Balderston, who said kids are very quick to see
the contradictions that can be found between ads and facts they are taught.

The program began in Los Angeles in 1983 and has now spread across
North America and Europe. Balderston said the program run in the
Columbia Valley is one of the better ones he has heard of in the
province. And it all culminates with the D.A.R.E. graduation.

"It's a huge event," he said, "all the parents fill the gymnasium and
students do skits and even do some of their own music."

This is also only one of the many approaches local police are taking
to address the problem of drug and alcohol abuse in the valley.

Students in earlier grades will take part in W.I.T.S., a program to
combat bullying and peer pressure. The D.A.R.E. program also has
curriculum for students in Grades 7 and 9 and local RCMP are also
holding parent meetings to inform parents of the realities of drugs
and how to help their kids make proper decisions. They also play road
hockey with school kids to bring more familiarity to the local law
enforcement. Finally, RCMP are very supportive of one-on-one reading
help for kids in the area. According to Balderston, statistics have
shown that children who are spending their free time involved in
activities and are doing well with their studies are more likely to
avoid issues involving drug and alcohol abuse.

In future, the RCMP hopes to extend their reach outside of the
classroom and offer more information sessions to adults about the
facts behind drug use.