DARING CHANCE TO TALK

Education Program

Bernice Bennett found her son taking the Drug Abuse Resistance
Education program at Senator Riley middle school provided the perfect
opportunity to reinforce some of the lessons she has been stressing at
home for years.

"When Colin was doing his DARE essay, I had a chance to sit down with
him and reflect on things like smoking and cancer," said Bennett, who
has lost family members to lung cancer.

Bennett, who moved to High River from Chestermere, said she was
delighted that DARE was being offered in the Foothills.

"It is a really good program," said Bennett, at the Grade 6 DARE
graduation at Riley school on April 27. "My other children took it at
Chestermere and I was really glad to see it here." Colin said the
lessons he learned at DARE will help him later in life when he faces
difficult decisions.

"It will help me say 'No' to drugs when someone asks me," Colin said.
"If you use drugs it will effect your brain and take over your body.
DARE teaches people not to use drugs so they won't go to jail."

DARE instructor Greg Diebolt, a former Mountie of more than 20 years,
said the nine-week course deals with more than drugs -- even though
they are front and centre in the program's title.

"It's much more than that," Diebolt told the graduates and parents who
attended the ceremony. "We also deal with peer-pressure and forming
good friendships -- being a good friend and having good friends."

Diebolt said there is a DARE decision-making model to help students
make the right choice in regards to the temptation of drug use,
shoplifting, bullying and other tough situations for teenagers.

For the first time in DARE's history at Senator Riley, the program was
slightly modified for French Immersion students.

Grade 6 French Immersion students received their instruction in
English from Const. Rita Jones, who is bilingual, but they used French
textbooks.

The program is brought to Foothills area schools through funding from
the DAREWorks Society and stakeholders in the community.

Those stakeholders are: Foothills School Division, M.D. of Foothills,
Town of High River, Town of Okotoks, Strathcona-Tweedsmuir school,
Town of Black Diamond, Town of Turner Valley, Village of Longview and
the society.