EDUCATION ABOUT MAKING WISE DECISIONS, BOY WRITES

NEW CREEK -- "The DARE program is more than just telling you to avoid
drugs. It is also about making wise decisions at school, home and
other places."

With those words, New Creek Primary School fifth-grader Ryan
Weasenforth earned the honor of Outstanding DARE Student Thursday
when the school held its annual DARE graduation.

Deputy Craig Fraley, who has taught Drug Abuse Resistance Education
classes in Mineral County for a number of years, read Weasenforth's
essay to the crowd of students and parents gathered Thursday
afternoon for the special ceremony.

"I learned that drugs can give you heart and lung diseases which can
kill you," Weasenforth wrote. "I think it is important to avoid drugs
and violence because it can easily hurt or kill you.

"The DARE program has had a big impact on me. It has helped me to
make more wise decisions in school and other places."

Fraley said the DARE program has broadened its focus over the years
from drug abuse resistance to avoiding destructive decisions of all types.

"There are no guarantees that every one of these kids sitting here
will make the right decision every time," he said. "But we cannot
afford to not give them every opportunity to learn how to make good choices."

Calling the bold black T-shirts the students were given "a visible
pledge" that they will strive to avoid drugs, alcohol, tobacco and
other destructive decisions, Fraley said each one of the students who
graduated from the DARE program is charged to share what they learned
with their fellow students.

"Today, you take the step from being DARE students to being DARE
teachers," he said.

Fraley also presented awards for the first-, second-, and third-place
winners in the essay category.

"I love DARE because we learn about staying drug free in a really fun
way," Alexis Spitzer said in her first-place essay.

"When I get older, I'm never going to take drugs because when you do,
there is no going back," she said. "If you take drugs, you will have
smelly hair, smelly fingers, yellow teeth and even yellow fingers. It
will just ruin your life if you get hooked on the drug."

James Ray earned second place for his essay.

He wrote: "When you are in fifth grade, you get to take this program
to help you make healthy choices. Because some parents do not want to
talk about it with their kids, and they are the ones that might be
getting in trouble later in life."

In her third-place essay, Tori Cook wrote: "I hope I never get into
the habit of drinking, smoking or chewing tobacco, because it causes
lung cancer, bad breath, yellow fingers and yellow teeth.

"People who smoke are very bad at sports, bad at school work (if
they're in school), and they have to pay lots and lots of money a
year for cigarettes."

Fraley also honored three students with special awards for their
participation in the classes: Amanda Bowman, Alexa Constable and Katie Wilson.