ABOVE AND BEYOND NORMAL SCHOOLWORK

KEYSER - According to Keyser Primary-Middle School DARE student
Brittany Miller, "only people who are dumb and think they're cool" do drugs.

She is quick to add, however, that they are not cool.

"I pledge that I will never, ever use drugs, smoke or use alcohol
because I know what they contain," she said in the essay written at
the conclusion of the nine-week Drug Abuse Resistance Education
classes at KPMS.

"There are things that can kill you or harm you, so I'll never use any of it."

Based on her essay and participation in the classes, Miller was named
Outstanding DARE Student Monday when KPMS held the first DARE
graduation in several years at the school.

Deputy Craig Fraley, who taught the classes, said the Mineral County
Board of Education was able to bring DARE back to KPMS this year when
they hired him as a full-time resource officer.

Fraley said DARE classes offer students life lessons above and beyond
their normal schoolwork.

"It's non-typical education, but it's also a life-saving education," he said.

Matthew Landes, who earned first place for his essay, agreed.

"What I learned in DARE will definitely help me about drugs
throughout life," he wrote. "I know drugs are bad, but I did not know
how horrible they really are. ...

"DARE will help me make wiser decisions through school and my life.
. Because of DARE, I will never use alcohol, tobacco and any other drugs."

"I promise to stay drug-free so then I didn't have to worry about
getting most diseases that could possibly kill me," second-place
winner Brittany Paugh wrote.

"Thanks to Craig I won't make any wrong decisions about drugs. So now
I know all kinds of facts about drugs."

According to third-place winner Kari Amtower, DARE "helps build
confidence and encourage kids to say no. ... It has taught me many
facts about how dangerous drugs are and what some of the health
problems include. ...

"It probably had a good impact on my life now that I know these facts
about drugs," she said.

Fraley also honored three students from each of the four DARE classes
for their exemplary participation in the courses. Those students
receiving participation certifications were: Danny Fife, Hayley
Foster, Jacob Shumaker, Jenna Custer, Wesley Minshall, Debra-Lea
Ross, Marquis Harris, Ryan Hickey, Lauren Myklebost, Joshua Bane,
Autumn Slawter and Abby Smith.

In dismissing the students Monday, Fraley reminded them that they are
now, when they wear their DARE T-shirts, role models for the younger students.

"What kind of example are you going to set for them?" he asked.