MAGIC SHOW TEACHES STUDENTS THE MAGIC WORD: 'NO'

POUND - "It's your job to do the magic," magician Joseph Young told his
audience of fifth graders. "The magic of making cigarettes, drugs and
alcohol disappear."

The magic show, performed before approximately 700 fifth graders, was a new
approach to kicking off the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. Each
Wise County school was represented at the assembly, which was held at J.W.
Adams Combined School.

"We're trying to start the year off right," said Sgt. Teresa Meade, DARE
officer for the Wise County Sheriff's Office. Meade teaches classes in
Coeburn, Appalachia, Pound, Big Stone Gap and Wise, including classes at
the alternative education center.

Three other DARE officers attended the ceremony. Doug Evans of the Wise
County Sheriff's office, Mike "Bulldog" Mullins of the Wise Police
Department and Chief Alan Porter of the St. Paul police department were all
on hand to meet their new students.

Meade and Young have been planning the program, which was sponsored by the
Wise County Sheriff's Office, since February.

A magic show seemed like a fun way to get students excited about learning,
Meade said before the show. Minutes into Young's award winning Rubik's cube
act, student reactions proved Meade's theory right.

Young, who performs as "The Amazing Joseph Young," describes his act as
"puzzle magic and comedy with a twist." Young's Rubik's cube act, in which
he makes the popular puzzle cubes from the 1980s disappear, reappear and
grow, was set to upbeat electronic music.

After the high energy opening, Young performed more tricks without music.
His program included a good deal of audience participation, and he kept the
mood light-hearted as he joked with the students and police officer he
called to the stage.

Toward the end of the program, Young told the students a true story about
two teens whose lives ended in a car accident after a night of drinking and
drugs. The magician didn't let his sad tale dampen the assembly's mood too
much, though. Immediately afterward he taught the children how to make a
bottle "disappear" into a paper bag, and threw treats and a plush Darren
the DARE lion - the program's mascot - into the audience.

Young, who has been performing professionally for seven years, stressed
that he does more in his act than perform slight of hand tricks.

"I'm not just a magician," he said, "I am a school assembly educator."

An important part of the DARE program is showing students that police
officers are not a threat, said Meade. Having officers on hand to high-five
the eager children and joke with Young during his act helped accomplish
this during the children's first real contact with police.

"We want the kids to know that we're approachable," said Meade, noting that
children will often disclose important secrets about abuse or other family
problems if they have a good attitude about police.

DARE is a 10-week program taught in the fifth grade. It began in 1983 in
Los Angeles, Ca., and is now taught by police departments across the country.

Meade, who has been a DARE officer for six years, explained that the
program is updated often to meet the needs of our changing society.

"The DARE program is up to date and user-friendly," Meade said. "It's
tested, tried and true."