DARE PROGRAM KICKING OFF SOON

With a new school year now in full swing, the Starkville Police Department
is "D.A.R.E-ing" local sixth grade students to resist using illegal drugs
and succumbing to peer pressure.

The Police Department's D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program
will kick off another year of weekly programs with sixth grade students at
Henderson Intermediate School and Starkville Academy in another week, said
Officer Sammy Shumaker, the program's coordinator. "It's all about teaching
kids to resist using drugs and other harmful substances," Shumaker said.
"That's the mission."

The 17-week program includes sessions on such issues as self-esteem, peer
pressure, conflict resolution and media pressure as those topics relate to
drug use, Shumaker said. "We have a different lesson each week. This year,
we're kicking off shortly after Labor Day. We try to be halfway through the
program by Christmas and hold a 'graduation' in the spring, usually in
April, to recognize the students who successfully complete the program,"
Shumaker said.

"The goal is to have 100 percent of the students complete the program." The
D.A.R.E. curriculum's lessons are taught weekly to the students, Shumaker
said. Henderson students participate through their science classes, while
SA students also have set times for the program, he said.

"The first three lessons, in particular, are geared toward drugs and the
consequences of using drugs," said Shumaker. "I have the kids look at the
choices to be made and the consequences that result from making the right
or wrong choices. I share real-life incidents with them that have happened
to people in our community. Of course, I don't use any names to protect the
identity of those people. But I want to show them how these people have
ended up in court or in jail."

In his fifth year as the Police Department's D.A.R.E. officer, Shumaker
said he has really enjoyed watching the sixth grade students successfully
complete the program. "They've learned a lot over the years and learned to
make positive choices," Shumaker said. "I like being around the kids,
learning their personalities and being a positive role model. "I've also
found that the kids are a lot more receptive to police officers, as well.
They see the positive side of what we do. The kids go up to all the
officers and talk to them and ask for the badge stickers we give out."