News

DARE putting fun into good choices
The Union Leader (Manchester NH) - February 2008

MERRIMACK -- Katelyn Walker said she knows better than to follow the crowd.

Walker, a fifth-grader at James Mastricola Upper Elementary School, won an award last Friday for an essay she wrote on peer pressure. The essay was written as part of the DARE program -- which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education.

All of the fifth-grade students at the school go through the DARE program, run by police Officer Tom Prentice.

Walker read her essay on peer pressure at a graduation ceremony held to celebrate the end of the 11-week program. She and seven other students received a certificate and a watch to recognize their essays.

"The essay was about following your own crowd and making your own decisions and making the right decisions," said Walker.

Prentice said the DARE program, which is taught in classrooms around the world, is designed to teach children about the dangers of tobacco, alcohol and drugs, including prescription drugs. The program also addresses peer pressure and bullying.

He meets with fifth-graders at Mastricola once a week during the 11-week program. Eight of the 14 fifth-grade classes just completed the program. The other six classes will start the program next month.

Prentice said his No. 1 goal was "to have fun."

"Once that stops, you lose them," he said. "If you get that, the learning comes naturally."

It seems he had some success.

Ryan Schneider was recognized at the graduation for his participation in the program. He said Prentice made the class "so fun."

"It was fun and important at the same time," he said.

Schneider said he learned about the dangers of tobacco and made a promise he would never smoke.

George Tessier won a Daren Award. Daren, a lion, is the mascot of the DARE program. The award is given to students who use the lessons outside the classroom.

Tessier said he thinks the DARE program is important and that all students should learn the lessons it teaches.

"I want them to know they shouldn't drink and smoke because they could get badly hurt," he said.

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