D.A.R.E. CELEBRATES 10TH SEGUIN ANNIVERSARY

SEGUIN -- More than 1,100 fifth-graders from schools as far away as
Lockhart and Karnes City learned to "Just Say No," to drugs at the "Goldie"
Harris Gym, Thursday.

D.A.R.E., which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, started in
Seguin 10 years ago.

Claire Cockerell, a fifth-grader from St. James Catholic School, said she
thinks D.A.R.E. inspires kids to be brave and say no to drugs.

"It's hard to stop once you start, so it's better not to start," Cockerell
said was one of the messages she heard.

D.A.R.E. Officer Hope Vasquez said classes from Seguin, Navarro and Marion
ISDs were joined by students from Lockhart, Karnes City and Stockdale for
the event.

Dakota Browning from Jefferson Elementary said he was impressed by the
number of people who came to tell him and the other students about the
dangers of drugs and the importance of making good choices for their future.

"They believe in us, and that makes me believe in myself," Browning said.
"Officer [Paul] Blea worked with us this year. Learning about the different
effects drugs have made me want to stay away from them."

Speakers included Miss Teen USA April Ford, Lisa Pinto from KSAT News, Miss
Texas USA Tyler Willis, Amy Davis from WOAI News, Police Ice, Cowboy
Entertainer Doug Whitaker and local police officers.

The Texas State University fencing team put on a demonstration of sword
fighting and talked about how they couldn't make the team if they were on
drugs.

Bexar County Sheriff's Deputy George Little, who is the National D.A.R.E.
Officer of the Year, told the students to have HOPE.

He is part Native American and was called a "half-breed" when he was
growing up and told he would never rise above being a garbage collector.

He talked about two teachers who taught him to set goals and believe in
himself and the difference that made in his life.

After the program, Little said he chose to be a D.A.R.E. officer after 34
years of working with adults.

"I gave up on adults," Little said. "With the kids, you can make a difference."

Little said studies showed 87 percent of the students that went through the
D.A.R.E. program since it started in 1993 in Bexar County stayed drug free.

He also praised the efforts officers were making in Guadalupe County.

"You have to have a good police chief and a good sheriff to have good
results," Little said. "My hat's off to [Sheriff Arnold Zwicke and Chief
Luis Collazo]."