DARE PROGRAMME ENDS WITH OFFICIAL CEREMONY

Some 98 students of the Villa and Cedar Grove Primary Schools
successfully completed the DARE programme last Thursday, and friends,
family and government officials turned out to celebrate with them at
their graduation at the Villa Baptist Church.

The noteworthy attendees at the ceremony included Minister of
Education Bertrand Joseph, Minister of Justice Colin Derrick, and
Commissioner of Police, Delano Christopher.

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) programme originated, in
1983, through the collaborative effort of the Los Angeles Police
Department and the Unified School District. The mission of DARE is to
provide children with the information they need to live drug free.

The Antiguan programme, since its inception in 1997, has spread to 20
schools after starting in just four.

Officer L. Clarke, the DARE officer responsible for both schools,
said he began teaching the kids in September of 2005 and the 16 weeks
proved to be both challenging and fun. He said the world is a very
different place now and parents have to give kids hope and seek to
encourage them.

The Principal of Cedar Grove Primary, C. Aska, said she was very
happy to have her grade five students finish the course because of
the failure of other DARE classes. She found it to be both valuable
and timely and hopes that the children put what they learnt to good use.

Zone four Education Officer Sharon James, said education aims to
produce well-rounded individuals, and programmes such as DARE help
that to materialise.

The children of Villa Primary, in a skit, presented five inventive
ways to say no to offers of drugs. They include giving the cold
shoulder, walking away, changing the subject, ignoring the offer, and
giving alternatives.

The minister of justice, the minister of education, and the
commissioner of police helped to distribute the 98 certificates of
participation to the students.