Pubdate: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 Source: St. Paul Journal, The (CN AB) Copyright: 2003 - St. Paul Journal Contact: http://www.spjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2368 Author: Todd MacKay STUDENTS DARE MAKING DIFFERENCE DOWN THE ROAD Grade 11 students are much older and wiser than they were in Grade 6. But members of the Grade 11 class at the St. Paul Regional High School look to remember some of the lessons they learned during their last year of elementary school. This particular Grade 11 class has the distinction of being the first class to graduate from the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) course. "We got to miss class," says Jacqueline Caouette. "And we got shirts out of the deal," says Allison Heffner. Getting a shirt and a break from the grind of Grade 6 isn't all the students gained from the program. The DARE program has a uniformed RCMP officer teach 17 classes about everything from the physiological effects of drugs to issues such as self-esteem and peer pressure. But the program wasn't simply academic. "We got to do skits," remembers Jason Dembicki. "They were funny. We got to do whatever it took for the class to make sense." "We even had our fingerprints taken," says Kara Logozar. The fun and games had a purpose. Heffner says the DARE program presented the consequences of different life paths and how some send lives down the drain. Issues such as drug and alcohol abuse seem like topics Grade 6 students shouldn't need to know about, but the Grade 11's say the timing was good. "It's good because that's when young teens are learning about a lot of things," says Heffner. "It's better than in high school," agrees Caouette. "By that time they won't listen because they've already tried a lot of things." The prevalence of drugs in St. Paul and area is another good reason for programs like DARE, according to the students. They say most students their age have experimented with drugs. DARE's weakness is that it didn't go into enough detail about many drugs and the consequences of using them. The program focused on marijuana and alcohol, but didn't give much information about others such as ecstasy. Information aside, the students say simply having a positive example is important. "It's good to see someone with a good job saying you don't have to use [drugs or alcohol] to be a good person," says Logozar. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth