Pubdate: Mon, 27 Nov 2006
Source: Culpeper Star-Exponent (VA)
Copyright: 2006 Culpeper Star-Exponent
Contact:  http://www.starexponent.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1946
Author: Rhonda Simmons

TEACHING CHILDREN TO MAKE RIGHT DECISIONS

With so many negative temptations surrounding students, local law 
enforcement wants to supply them with preventative tactics within a 
familiar classroom setting.

The Culpeper County Sheriff's Office will start teaching the Drug 
Abuse Resistance Education curriculum at Floyd T. Binns Middle School 
and Culpeper Middle School today for sixth-grade health and physical 
education classes.

DARE teaches children how to recognize and resist the daily pressures 
of using alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drugs.

"This is a very positive program that is expected to have 26 million 
students in the United States participating and 36 million students 
worldwide," said Sheriff H. Lee Hart.

Specially, trained deputies Gail Clatterbuck and Cody Perry will urge 
students to maintain positive self-esteem, teach them how to make 
decisions on their own and help them identify positive alternatives to drugs.

According to DARE officials, the curriculum emphasizes the negative 
consequences of drug use and reinforces the skills to resist peer 
pressure and intimidation through role-playing exercises.

A new part of the course allows students to create their own public 
service announcements, which will be aired on local television 
stations. Hart said a portion of the gang grant fund will be utilized 
in this program to teach gang awareness.

"This program will address more than saying no to drugs," he said. 
Additional events that coincide with the DARE program include the 
teachers versus law enforcement basketball game and countywide 
graduation ceremonies in the spring. For more information contact 
Cpl. Shannon Carter at 727-3444 ext. 566.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine