STUDENTS DARE TO THINK

Sixth-Grade Drug Resistance Program Now in Place in 17 Glendale
Elementary Schools

SOUTHEAST GLENDALE -- The children in Taleen Mendossian's sixth-grade
class at John Muir Elementary School began a seven-week program Friday
that will, if nothing else, teach them they have a choice not to do
drugs.

As discussion of illegal drugs began during a Drug Abuse Resistance
Education activity at the school, 10-year-old Ani Chobanyan slowly
raised her hand and asked, "If drugs are bad and kill people, why do
we still have drugs."

Ani was one of 25 students in Mendossian's class who participate in
the DARE program, led by Glendale Police Officer Toby Carver. Carver
leads the seven-week drug resistance program in sixth-grade classrooms
at 17 Glendale elementary schools. "They keep saying a lot of people
die, but they still don't get rid of drugs," Ani said. "Since third
grade I have been wanting to learn about this. My dad smokes
cigarettes and I just want to know more about these things."

The DARE program is targeted at sixth-graders because the jump to
middle school is considered a crucial time in child development,
Carver said. Students who participate are given workbooks and asked to
do regular homework assignments on the topic of drugs. Once the course
is completed, students get T-shirts and certificates.

"What they learn here they can take it or leave it. But the important
thing is that they walk out of here knowing they have a choice,"
Carver said. "I want them to have the confidence to be able to say no
and believe that they do not need these drugs to be who they want to
be."

The program started in Glendale around 1990. Carver has been involved
with DARE since 1994.

When asked what the definition of a drug is, Mendossian's students
responded with words and phrases like "disgusting," "bad for your
body," "not cool," "ruining," "deathly" and "dumb."

Students described drugs as "ugly" and told Carver drugs mess with
people's heads.

Mendossian hopes the DARE program will help her children to make
autonomous decisions about what's best for them.

"I hope they learn how to make appropriate choices for themselves for
those times when parents and adults are not around. They need to hear
these things from various different people in the community,"
Mendossian said.