DARE GRADS TREATED TO FISHING TRIP, PICNIC

Two Of The Six Charter Boats Full Of DARE Grads Head Out For a Day's Fishing.

Sixth grade students from the Central Square School District celebrated the
successful culmination of their Drug Abuse Resistance Education program by
participating in a fishing expedition on Monday afternoon.

Local charter boat captains at the Oswego Marina provided the event.

The students gathered at the Port City's east side marina, at the foot of
East First Street and got under way shortly after 1 p.m.

Following a few hours on Lake Ontario's waters under bright sun, the
students returned to dry land for a picnic.

Their DARE instructor, Deputy George Korthas, and several chaperones
accompanied the students from the school.

Oswego County Sheriff Reuel Todd presented the six charter captains with
certificates of appreciation for their services to the DARE program.

The captains donated their time to take the 30 students on a fishing trip,
he said.

"This is a wonderful program," he said. "We're pleased to be able to do a
little something for all the students who worked so hard during the
program," he said. "It's a wonderful day to be out on the lake."

The program teaches youngsters how to say no to drugs, alcohol and
violence, the sheriff explained.

"They're taught about the dangers of what happens if you get involved in
that type of life," he said. "The students have done very well in the
program. It's just a great project."

The students received caps with the names of the charter captain's boat and
the company that sponsored it as a souvenir.

Sponsors were Schrimille's Collision, Brown and Son Sand and Gravel,
Burke's Home Center, Mark's Service Center, Wholesale Homes, and Extreme
Auto Recovery.

Sisko Foods, along with Central Square Nice 'N Easy, sponsored the food for
the picnic, held at K&G Lodge.

"When I go in the classroom, this is what I tell them the reward will be at
the end of the year," Korthas said. "We have been doing this for five years
now and this has always been a big hit with the kids."

"We used to think they wanted to all catch a big fish," said Ron Hill Jr.,
one of the charter captains said. "But we've discovered that they just want
to get out there and fish. They don't care if they catch something real big
or just a few inches long. They want to fish."