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Grand Island
Sarah Singkofer D.A.R.E. America Youth Advisory Board Nebraska Representative  Sarah Singkofer Northwest High School junior Sarah Singkofer can recite chapter and verse from the DARE class she took as a fifth-grader. "It was taught by officer (Tracy) Webb," she said. "There was a lot of training on resistance to drugs, how to say 'no,' what crimes are committed and what the punishments are so you can see a cause and effect, and what the negative effects of drugs are. "They talked about peer pressure a lot," Singkofer added. She said she learned similar valuable lessons when school resource officer Butch Hurst taught the GREAT (Gang Resistance Education and Training) class at Westridge Middle School, as well as the Northwest High School freshman DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) class. "We learned a lot more about drugs and what they do to the body," Singkofer said of that freshman course. Hurst, though, said he was always impressed by more than what Singkofer learned in class. "She's just one of those good kids," Hurst said, noting that he was struck by how responsible Singkofer is, how she works with younger kids at Twisters Gymnastics and how she gets along with others at school. Those qualities prompted Hurst to nominate Singkofer to be the Nebraska representative to the DARE National Youth Advisory Board. Only one student is chosen per state. Singkofer, though, knew nothing of the nomination. Consequently, she was surprised when she got a call this past summer from Jolene Palmer, DARE state coordinator, asking her to represent Nebraska. After thinking the offer over, Singkofer agreed. That's how she ended up taking a trip to the national conference at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) headquarters in Quantico, Va., about 30 miles outside Washington, D.C. She made the trip with her mom, Mary, Nov. 22 through 24. There, Singkofer learned how some communities provide DARE lessons to students in the fifth, seventh and ninth grades. DARE officials theorize that the fifth-grade curriculum is a prevention class, while the seventh- and ninth-grade courses are taught when students are at higher risk of experimenting with drugs. Singkofer said studies are being done to judge the effectiveness of that approach. One eye-opening session at Quantico was on drugs and paraphernalia used at rave parties. "It showed what they do to people," said Singkofer, who learned about drugs such as Ecstasy, GHB and Rophynol. "It was really creepy." Other interesting experiences included visiting the DEA Museum in Washington, D.C., which displays a timeline of drug use in America, including the "first drug epidemic" from the years 1850 through 1914 and the rise of the modern drug culture in the 1960s and '70s. She and other state representatives were encouraged to start a Peer PLUS (Playing and Learning Under Supervision) program, which shows young students they can have fun, drug-free activities. Ironically, though, the qualities Hurst admires in Singkofer have made it difficult for her to get a Peer PLUS program started. If she could find the time, Singkofer would like to do something at either Westridge Middle School or Shoemaker Elementary, because that's where she attended school. But as soon as she returned in November, Singkofer got caught up in the whirl of preparing for mock trial competition -- Northwest qualified for state by beating Kearney -- and in performing with the 14 Karat Gold Show Choir. Her four-day-a-week job teaching kids at Twisters presented another stumbling block to getting an after-school Peer PLUS program started. Friday is her only free afternoon. "I'm not sure how many kids would come on a Friday," she said. Singkofer, though, gives kids a little bit of Peer PLUS encouragement through Twisters. "I tell them drugs are bad and gymnastics is cool," she said. |
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