D.A.R.E. PROGRAM'S MESSAGE: YOU ARE SPECIAL

DESLOGE -- The ceremony for the 64th class to graduate from the Drug Abuse
Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program was just another reminder for
students that they are not alone.

The D.A.R.E. program gives children in seventh to ninth grades the tools to
say no to drugs and to make the right decisions.

It teaches the students that each one of them is special and important and
that there are people who care about them.

A group of North County fifth graders celebrated their completion of the
DARE program Monday afternoon with several county and city dignitaries present.

Among the dignitaries was Desloge Mayor Greg Camp who asked the audience to
give the fifth graders a round of applause for opening their hearts and
their minds to D.A.R.E. Instructor Gary Carver, a deputy with the St.
Francois County Sheriff's Department.

Camp reminded the students there are a lot of people out there like Carver
who will be there for them when they need a friend or when they are in trouble.

Sheriff Dan Bullock made the same point.

Bullock said police officers aren't just there to arrest the bad guys. He
told them if they run into trouble, they can ask for help from them.

The D.A.R.E. program is just one of the community policing programs in the
sheriff's department .

Bullock has said the D.A.R.E. program "reinforces a bond between kids and
police." Too often the only exposure to law enforcement the children have
is negative, but this program puts a positive spin on it.

Bonne Terre Mayor Sue Wilke reminded the students of the other thing they
are taught in the D.A.R.E. program -- they are special. She also told them
to remember they have choices and they should pick the ones that make them
a stronger and better person.

Carver said the students learn there are different places they can go for
support or guidance. The ones the D.A.R.E. program focuses on are school,
parents and police.

"The whole purpose is they understand they aren't alone and there are
people who care," he said.

Winners of the D.A.R.E. essay contest took turns reading their essays.

One student said Carver treats them like people and he looked forward to
the D.A.R.E. class every week.

Another student said Carver was more than just a teacher, he was their
friend. He said he learned about self-respect and self-worth and that it is
not always easy to make the right choices.

One of the essay winners said he has learned first-hand how drugs ruin
lives. Others like him have parents in jail or prison because they have
made bad decisions. Carver said some of the students have experienced
devastating events in their lives. He said they have shown courage, trust
and conviction.

He said it is hard to see students who are struggling at home and are in
bad situations. He said they especially need to know that they are special
and valuable and that there are people out there to fall back on for help.

Carver said students who have parents with drug addictions need to know
that they don't have to fall into those same footsteps and become another
generation of drug users. There are other ways of life.

Carver added he doesn't want children to think of their parents as bad. The
adults may have made bad decisions and may need help.

Carver said he doesn't know a parent who doesn't want more for their child.
He has found that parents who are addicted to drugs don't want their
children to be like them.

As a law enforcement officer, Carver has made more than 1,000 arrests. He
has responded to drug overdoses and traffic accidents involving drugs or
alcohol. He said if anything the students learn keeps them from being one
of those statistics, then the D.A.R.E. program is a great thing.

Carver enjoys his job as a D.A.R.E. officer and enjoys helping his
students. He has taught the D.A.R.E. program for eight years.

He teaches fifth and seventh graders at Bismarck, Central, North County and
West County schools. He teaches ninth graders at North County and hopes to
reach out to more ninth graders next year.