D.A.R.E. DAY MIXES GRADUATES WITH ROLE MODELS

LEXINGTON - It was D.A.R.E. Day at the Heartland Museum of Military
Vehicles in Lexington for all Dawson County D.A.R.E. graduates in 5th and
6th grades.

Dawson County D.A.R.E. Instructor Cheri Ziebell said the day was in
recognition of the program's graduates. "It's my way of celebrating the
graduates," Ziebell said. "They have committed to being drug and alcohol
free. This is my part to reinforce the commitment."

Ziebell who works with the Dawson County Sheriff's Department said the day
is also for the students to meet positive role models and have fun. Role
models were from the following organizations: Nebraska State Patrol, Cozad
Police Department, Nebraska Game and Parks, Lexington VFW Auxiliary,
Veterans of the Heartland Museum, Cozad Police Department and Miss Nebraska
Kelly Keiser.

Dudley Sorensen, a conservation officer from the Game and Parks Department,
was on hand to meet the students and explain the patrol boats and the
inside of a deputy vehicle. He says he likes the one-on-one time because
the kids get to see authority in a different light.

"Familiarity is nice," Sorensen said. "That way they (students) are not so
apprehensive."

Sgt. Fred Storm of the Nebraska State Patrol showed the students what he
called "a matter of life and death," the decision to wear a seatbelt. The
outcomes of this choice are shown in a rollover display. The demonstration
includes an S10 pickup suspended in the air, making a rollover visible.
Mannequins sit in the car, one wearing a seatbelt and one without. The one
without the seatbelt flies out of the vehicle when the rollover is
simulated while the mannequin with the seatbelt on stays in the pickup.

Sgt. Storm encouraged the students to play a "seatbelt game" with their
parents, which provides incentives when a seatbelt is worn and penalties
when it isn't.

Miss Nebraska Kelly Keiser was signing autographs for the students. She is
a positive role model for these students as she promotes healthy living and
getting involved. She is an advocate for the 4-H program, another program
in which elementary-age students can also participate.

Tammy McMichael from the Cozad Community Hospital was also available at a
booth, which showed students the lasting, unhealthy effects of tobacco with
lung and teeth molds. She also offered fact brochures.

D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. According to its
website, it is a program that gives kids the skills they need to avoid
involvement in drugs, gangs and violence. It is a police officer-led series
of classroom lessons that teaches children how to resist peer pressure and
live productive drug and violence-free lives.