DARING KIDS TO BE DRUG FREE

During their DARE graduations, fifth graders spoke about what they
learned throughout the program, including how to resist drugs and
alcohol. "DARE is the secret weapon to help kids stay away from
drugs and violence," said Brendan McCarthy, a fifth grader at Nixon
Elementary School. The DARE program showed that there are many
reasons to be drug free, he said. McCarthy said the program taught
him how to say no if he was offered a cigarette, drugs or alcohol.

Taught by Sudbury DARE Officer Ronald "Rocky" Conrado, the program
teaches all fifth graders in the district about making good
decisions and the consequences of their choices.

"DARE is all about making the right choices when you're faced with
hard decisions about drugs," said fifth-grader Isaac Fadden. Fifth
graders said they learned the importance of staying drug-free
throughout their lives. Not only was the program important because
it taught all fifth graders that drugs are bad, but also that drugs
can result in violence, said Nick DeAndrade.

"I have learned that alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, inhalants and
other things can really mess up your body," the fifth grader said.
Of the many helpful things she learned, fifth grader Graham Halperin
said she now understands the consequences of drugs and not following
the path laid out by the DARE program. It is important to remember
what she learned and always say 'no' to drugs.

"I used to completely ignore people when I saw them smoking,"
Halperin said. "Now whenever I see someone smoking, I want to run
over to him or her and pull out his or her cigarette and say 'What
are you, crazy?'" One of the kids' favorite activities was looking
through goggles that simulate being drunk.

"The goggles really gave me a good idea of what you would see if you
were a drunk person," said fifth grader Jessie Bursma. "How can you
drive like that if you cannot even walk in a straight line? I could
not even catch a ball." DeAndrade said it was a "weird" experience
looking through those goggles. "It made me think of the dangers of
using alcohol," McCarthy said. Part of the DARE program involves the
students writing an essay about what they have learned and often
they include promises to always say 'no' to drugs. Conrado said he
saves the essays and gives them to the students when they reach
ninth grade as a reminder.

"I hope that you will remember these lessons, for they are very
important lessons that will help you throughout your life," Conrado
told the fifth graders. "Get the best education you can possibly
get. The knowledge will set you free and freedom is what America is
all about."

He encouraged the students to never give up on themselves or their
dreams. As long as they are willing to work hard, they can be
anything they want to be, Conrado said.

If they fail at something the first time, he told the fifth graders
to keep on trying to reach that goal.

Most importantly, he reminded students that problems cannot be
solved with drugs and alcohol. In fact, they will only make the
problem worse, he said. "Think of the consequences of your actions
before you act. Make good decisions by thinking things through and
don't be afraid to ask for help with a problem," Conrado said.

The new graduates of the DARE program were also given some advice by
guest speaker Gary Tanguay from FOX New England Sports. He told a
story about knowing in eighth grade that he wanted to be on radio
and television, and that it was something he loved.

But getting to where he is now was not necessarily smooth sailing.
"When I went to work at the local radio station in Maine...the first
summer I worked, I would read one newscast every hour," Tanguay
said. "That summer, every newscast I read was absolutely horrible."

Despite not being that good at it at first, he loved doing it. The
next year, as a senior in high school, he got a little better. Then
college came, and he improved even more.

Each year he got better, but Tanguay said he had to deal with the
fear of failing at it. It was just part of the deal, he said.
"You're really just getting started, so if there's something you
want to do, you love to do, do it. There may be a little
fear...everybody has a fear of failure," he said.

No matter what goal or dream, Tanguay told the students they have to
learn and get through the tough times.

"As far as drugs and alcohol, I'm sure you all know it gets in the
way. It gets in the way of your dreams. Nothing good comes of it," he said.

Rep. Sue Pope, R-Wayland, reminded the fifth graders that the DARE
program may be over, but the lessons learned do not stop here. "It's
just really the beginning for you kids because now you kids have a
responsibility to help the younger students in this school, your
younger brothers and sisters, and your older brothers and sisters.
You have to help them learn the DARE pledge," she said.

Pope told the students that in the future they will be faced with
many choices and it is important to remember what they learned in
the DARE program. "Remember what you've learned today, what you've
learned with Officer Rocky. Let that be your guiding light through
your whole school career and you're going to do fine," she said.

Assistant Superintendent Bob Milley said the fifth graders can
expect to see people make dumb decisions, but it is important not to
join them. It is important to resist the temptation to get drawn
into those situations and hopefully the lessons learned in the DARE
program will help students make the right choices. "I'm hoping that
you'll never be that (dumb) person, you'll never be the person who
follows. But I hope you'll be the one that prevents others from
doing that very dumb thing," Milley said.

Selectmen Chairman Larry O'Brien directed his comments to the
parents, telling them they need to maintain the dialogue with their
children that began with the DARE program. Any communication is
better than no communication, he said. "When they want to talk, and
they do at times, you have to let them. There are other times when
you need to get out the dynamite and crowbar and pry it out of them
because they are dying to tell you, but don't know how," O'Brien
said. It is important to stay involved in a child's life because
there are many temptations out there, he said.

Not every community puts the time and effort into having a DARE
program and Sudbury is blessed to have the support of Conrado,
O'Brien said. "It is the passion for the children, the passion for
the DARE program, the passion to give them a step up on making
better decisions that makes these days and these DARE graduations so
special," he said. "It's the passion of Rocky Conrad that keeps the
program successful in Sudbury from year to year."

O'Brien was not the only one to share these sentiments at Monday's
DARE graduation. Students expressed their thanks for both the
program and the officer responsibility for providing it to them.

"Officer Rocky couldn't have done a better job teaching us this
class," McCarthy said.

"Thank you Officer Rocky, you changed my life." Fadden said the
DARE program should continue because other kids his age need to learn
about drugs, marijuana, smoking and alcohol.

Some students not only want the program to continue in the future,
but wished it lasted longer.

"Over the years they have had to cut down the amount of weeks of
DARE. I definitely think I would have enjoyed having two more months
of DARE," Halperin said.