Pubdate: Fri, 10 May 2002
Source: Cranbury Press (NJ)
Copyright: Packet Online 2002
Contact:  http://www.cranburypress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2181
Author: Casha Caponegro

ANTI-DRUG CLASS PLANS GRADUATION

Sixth-graders at the Cranbury School will participate in a graduation 
ceremony on Wednesday.

The graduation, however, will not signify their departure from the school. 
Rather, it will mark the completion of the sixth-grade Drug Abuse 
Prevention Program.

Under the direction of health teacher Cindy Vanderworth, the five-week 
program teaches students how to identify and avoid illegal drugs and is 
part of the health curriculum for sixth grade.

Cranbury police Lt. Ed Kahler and Officer Michael Owens visited health 
classes to teach students lessons about drug abuse.

"We showed them the differences between medical and street drugs," said Lt. 
Kahler. "They also learned ways to say 'No' to drugs and alternatives to 
drug abuse."

Lt. Kahler said the students also were shown samples of different drugs 
that have been confiscated in Cranbury.

"We discuss actual events in Cranbury and relate them to the lessons being 
taught," said Lt. Kahler. "This drives home the fact that drug abuse can 
happen anywhere."

Lt. Kahler said the program has been very successful, which is why the 
Cranbury Police Department has continued participating in it for 12 years.

"I've had kids come up to me years afterwards to say what an impact the 
program had on them," said Lt. Kahler. "They said it really gave them a leg 
up on what's going on as far as drug abuse and said it was helpful that 
they didn't have to learn about drugs on the street."

The graduation ceremony will be held in the school at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. 
It will consist of speeches by Chief School Administrator Carol Malouf and 
representatives from the Police Department.

Students will receive graduation certificates and a T-shirt to commemorate 
the completion of the program.
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