CATHOLIC SCHOOL BOARD SUPPORTS DARE

The Grande Prairie Catholic School District is dipping into its wallet
to help keep its students away from drugs.

The school board has approved a $1,500 donation to the Grande Prairie
RCMP's Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program to help students
learn how to make healthy decisions.

"One of our roles as a school board is to educate our kids
academically, but we should also educate our kids in the real world,"
said vice-chairman Ralph Wohlgemuth at last week's regular board meeting.

"By supporting this, we're doing a lot more than contributing some
money. This provides longer-term benefits for our kids and for the
RCMP as well."

DARE was first piloted in Grande Prairie in 1997 and has expanded to
include 17 schools in the Grande Prairie area. For 2005-06,
approximately 700 local kids will be taking part in the program.

It is offered to Grade 6 students as part of the health curriculum in
participating schools.

It enables the kids to interact with an RCMP officer for 10 weeks and
has developed into a co-operative program between schools and law
enforcement.

The program covers such topics as the consequences of using drugs and
alcohol, the ways to resist peer pressure and how to deal with violence.

Although its students have been taking the program for several years,
this is the first time the Catholic school district has committed to
support it financially.

"Our schools currently take the DARE program and by donating to it, it
might be a benefit to show the support we have for this program," said
Supt. Karl Germann.

Because DARE is not a mandated program of the RCMP, funding comes from
external sources such as local businesses and organizations.