Tracknum: .3.0.5.32.19990627231149.01536aa0
Pubdate: Sun, 27 Jun 1999
Source: Miami Herald (FL)
Copyright: 1999 The Miami Herald
Contact:  One Herald Plaza, Miami FL 33132-1693
Fax: (305) 376-8950
Website: http://www.herald.com/
Forum: http://krwebx.infi.net/webxmulti/cgi-bin/WebX?mherald
Author: Lisa Allen

PUPILS JUST SAY YES TO ANTI-DRUG PROGRAM

Eagle Point kids take the DARE

Students at Eagle Point Elementary School demonstrated ways of saying no to
drugs at the school's Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) graduation
ceremony at the Wyndham Resort and Spa in Weston.

The two-hour-long performance, which was part of the graduation program for
the school at 100 Indian Trace, Weston, included short dramatic plays,
essay reading, and singing and dancing routines, all demonstrating "cool
ways" for kids to avoid drugs.

More than 200 fifth-graders produced and performed short plays for the
occasion. They received a certificate of completion, prizes from local
businesses and a Broward Sheriff's Office package containing a T-shirt,
stickers and a water bottle to celebrate the end of the 16-week program on
June 16.

The DARE valedictorian, 11-year-old Alexa West, received an award for her
overall performance.

The DARE program, run in partnership with BSO and the Broward School Board,
is part of a countywide curriculum teaching 10- and 11-year-olds about the
hazards of using legal and illegal drugs -- from marijuana and heroin to
nicotine and caffeine.

Sheriff's Deputy Luis Armenteros, who works with countywide operations, is
the officer in charge of the program at Eagle Point.

He said he wished the program had been available to his generation.

"I think it's extremely successful, because we're educating kids in how to
make good decisions about drug use, and makes them well-prepared in how to
deal with peer pressure when it occurs."

Principal Sherry Rose also praised the program.

"It's outstanding, because Deputy Armenteros goes above and beyond the
basics," she said. "Not only does he teach the standard curriculum, but he
also teaches morals and values. I would recommend this program to anyone." 
- --
Mike Gogulski  Connecticut Cannabis Policy Forum
"A Voice for Reason and Compassion in Marijuana Policy"
203-787-7157 - http://www.ccpf.org/ -  Box 6160, Hamden, CT 06517-6160