DARE GRADS SAY "NO" TO DRUGS

MIDDLETOWN -- The children attending school at Riverview Hospital for
Children and Youth have the amenities of learning to say no to drugs
and alcohol as do their counterparts in public and parochial schools.

For three years, Officer Chris Harris, of the state Department of
Mental Health and Addiction Services public safety division, has been
teaching them using emotional issues to emphasize the various lessons
in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. Harris, along with
Riverview Hospital staff, on Thursday gathered to congratulate a group
of children in the Pueblo unit who participated in the eight-week program.

"I think it's very important you're graduating," Harris told the class
of 5-to-9-year-olds. Five students -- Kevin, Shaylin, Jose, Tarius and
Francisco -- graduated from DARE. Two students, who came in part way
through the program, Theresa and Desiree, received honorable mentions.
There also was a student -- Juan -- who went through the program a
second time, and he received special recognition as a second-year graduate.

Harris asked the children what they learned in DARE, and they answered
peer pressure, drugs, stranger danger and fire safety.

"What do we say about drugs?" Harris asked the children. They replied
with a loud "No."

The officer asked the children what other messages they learned in
DARE.

"No drinking beers," one student said. Another said a person should
not smoke if they go to a person's house. Another responded, "Click it
or ticket."

"You guys did a fantastic job, and I'm proud of you," Harris told the
class.

The students were also praised by the school principal, Randy
Adams.

"You did an excellent job," he said. "I'm happy you participated in
the class. You guys participated, and I appreciate that."

"These kids are no different from others in Middletown or Cromwell,"
Harris said. "They deserve the same thing."

Lt. Alexander Kozmon allowed Harris to go through the DARE
instructor's course to bring the program to Riverview Hospital. Five
classes have been completed in the various units at the River Road
facility. Out of 90 DMHAS officers, Harris is the sole DARE instructor.

During the recent class, the students made a backpack for the stuffed
DARE lion to wear. Within the backpack is a pencil and a booklet the
children made with statements in it from "What I Learned in DARE."

Among the children's words were "don't smoke because it will kill
you," "stop, drop and roll," and "don't drink beer because it will
make you sick."

"Theresa came in halfway," Harris said. "She always had the answers to
questions we asked, even if we were stumped."

Theresa said she liked the program when "they talked about running
away" from strangers. If someone tried to get you into a car, "you
run," she said. The 9-year-old also liked it when the officers brought
in dogs for the children to see.