STUDENTS DARE TO LIVE HEALTHY

Elmer Elson Elementary Grade 6 Students Enthusiastically Look Ahead
To A Life Free Of Tobacco, Alcohol, Drugs And Violence

MAYERTHORPE -- Elmer Elson elementary Grade 6 students
enthusiastically look ahead to a life free of tobacco, alcohol, drugs
and violence as they officially graduated from the RCMP directed DARE
program.

DARE, an acronym for drug abuse resistance education, is a
comprehensive prevention education program designed to equip school
children with skills to recognize and resist social pressures to
experiment with drugs and resist violence. The DARE program utilizes
law enforcement officers to teach a formal curriculum to students in
a classroom setting. DARE gives special attention to fifth and sixth
grade students to prepare them for entry into intermediate and high
school, where they are most likely to encounter pressure to use drugs.

Local Grade 6 students completed a nine-week course officially
graduating from the program in a special assembly held Thursday
evening. Students were awarded a certificate for their hard work and
ongoing commitment to the program.

Local teachers say they are thrilled with their students'
accomplishments and say they have learned a great deal and are very
happy students had the opportunity to participate.

"They loved it, they learned a lot and there was lots of interaction
and ideas through skits and discussion," said Grade 6 teacher Brenda
Henrikson.

She said it was really effective to have a uniformed law enforcement
officer working in the classroom.

"That is what makes it a special program, an RCMP officer comes in
and offers [their] perspective and applies their knowledge, it really
make students listen and learn."

This year Mayerthorpe RCMP Const. Cindie Dennis taught the course.
Teachers made a special point to thank her for a job well done. "She
interacted with the students really well and did a great job. It was
a great success," Henrikson concludes.