DARE TO BE BETTER

Some LMS Students Complete Program

LAUREL - Some middle school students say they gained a lot from taking
part in the city's Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Program.

A group of sixth graders at Laurel Middle School recently celebrated
their completion of the nationally-recognized D.A.R.E. Program.

"It was an excellent program. It was a fun way to be educated about
drugs," said 11-year-old Amaria Cooley. "It made me know I don't want
to do drugs."

Twelve-year-old Joshua Cooley agreed.

"Marijuana messes your brain up," Cooley said. "Drugs also mess with
you upper respiratory system.

"Cigarettes kill a lot of people," he added. "I also learned that
alcohol is very addictive and smoking can mess with your family."

The students thanked Sgt. Shannon Caraway, who is conducting the
D.A.R.E. Program, for the Laurel Police Department.

Caraway said D.A.R.E. is more than substance abuse prevention
program.

"We are working to encourage our young people," Caraway said. "We want
them to know that now is the time for them to be making good decisions."

Monique Morgan, a sixth grade reading teacher at LMS, said the program
was very beneficial.

"The children learned a lot about drugs," she said.

Jokobi Terrell said it made him think about his family and how he
wanted to help them by not doing drugs.

Tamirra Haskins said the program "made me think about the decisions I
have to make. ... It made me change the way I think about things."

"It made me think about how people are," said Jamiya Samson. "It also
made me think about what I want to do with my life and the fact that I
need to make the right decisions for me and my family."

Candice Marks said the "D.A.R.E. Program teaches us how alcohol and
drugs affect people."

"It also helps you to know that even though everybody else is doing
something, you don't have to do it," Marks added.

"The D.A.R.E. Program is life-saving," 11-year-old Orvante Newell
said. "I learned that using drugs is a real bad thing. It can put you
in bad places and you could be at risk of dying.

Zyquez Williams said the program "makes me feel like I want to help my
family stay off of drugs."

Dejona Sims, Eddie McCormick and Terrence Evans said the program
encouraged them not to do drugs.

Raven Evans said she learned the affects of drugs and alcohol through
the program.

"D.A.R.E. helped me to find a new person inside of me," said
11-year-old Samario Jones. "Drugs can be dangerous."

Newell said the program "really set my mind on completing my
goals.

This year, millions of school children around the world are benefiting
from D.A.R.E., the highly acclaimed program that gives children the
skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence.

D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has proven so
successful that it is now being implemented in 75 percent of our
nation's school districts and in more than 43 countries around the
world.

Over the past three years, more than 220 communities have started new
D.A.R.E. Programs.

Caraway said Laurel started the D.A.R.E. Program in the late 90s. The
police sergeant began working with the program at local schools in
September.

D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that
teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist
peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives.

"We want you to remember to stay confident," Caraway told the
students. "Don't let others make you make bad decisions."

Grounded in cultural norms and values, the D.A.R.E. program provides
youth the skills to live drug-free lives confidently, drawing on their
strengths and the strengths of their families and communities.

Caraway said these strategies help youth stay away from drugs by
preparing them to act decisively, confidently and comfortably in a
difficult situation.

The curriculum teaches students how to say no by presenting practical
drug resistance strategies that are easy for them to remember and use.

Students also learn how to recognize risk, value their perceptions and
feelings, and make choices that support their values.

Laurel Middle School Principal Jeannine Agee said the D.A.R.E. Program
is important to helping the students learn about resisting drugs and
staying away from violence.

Agee said the program is taught to six graders the first semester and
eight graders the second semester.

Caraway said some of the topics discussed with the young people are:
Internet usage, resisting gang and group violence, peer pressure,
cyberbullying, meth (Methamphetamine), and drugs _ prescription and
over-the-counter.

Caraway said the DARE curriculum is organized as a 10-week, 10 lesson
program.

Each lesson requires one 40 - 45 minutes class period and is designed
to promote interaction between students and officers.

She said the lessons include fun activities that involve students in
their learning and allow them to exercise "REAL" resistance
strategies.