Students graduate from D.A.R.E. program

Mercedi Burk was one five students who read their D.A.R.E reports during "graduation" ceremonies to mark completion of the anti-drug program.

Sixth grade students from Hacker Middle School recently completed a program that taught them the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse and the risks associated with using tobacco.

During a graduation ceremony two weeks ago on April 24, nearly 300 students received certificates to mark their participation in the local Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., program.

Over the past 10 weeks, the students gained skills they need to say "no" to the risks of drugs, alcohol and tobacco, said Detective Ty Larsen from the Mountain Home Police Department, who teaches the middle school program. In addition, the program focused on other life skills, including peer pressure, bullying, risks and consequences and the need to help others.

Founded in 1983 in Los Angeles, the success of D.A.R.E. prompted police departments to introduce it in schools across the United States. A similar initiative is taught in classrooms in more than 44 countries around the would.

"D.A.R.E. is not a cure-all, but as a partnership with parents, teachers, law enforcement and the community as a whole, I think we have what it takes to educate our kids and give them the tools and information they will need to make healthy decisions about drugs and alcohol," Larsen said.

As part of their graduation from the program, each student was required to write a report to reflect on what they had learned from the program.

Out of all the graduates, one student from each class earned additional accolades for writing reports related to their experiences in the program. Five of these children read their reports during last week's program.

"What a fun and educational and yet surprising experience D.A.R.E. has been to me," said Liam Wallace. "I have not only learned anti-drug (strategies) and how to face those kinds of situations, I have also learned better ways to communicate, a way to fight bullying in a smarter fashion and how to make safe and responsible choices."

Students like Breanna Todd emphasized the dangers associated with tobacco, drugs and alcohol and why teens need to avoid them. She highlighted national statistics, including one emphasizing that 50,000 people die from second-hand smoke every year.

"I plan to use everything I've learned in D.A.R.E. to help me in the future," Todd said.

Others like Kailyn Francisco focused on the strategies needed to make good decisions and to say "no" to peer pressure.

"Everyone from the young to the old is bombarded with peer pressure, bad influences and difficult tasks to overcome," Francisco said.

"Peer pressure is a big influential problem among society today. Everyone wants to please their friends, so they will do things that they might not normally do to impress them. It might be drugs, alcohol, vandalism or bullying."

The skills Francisco and her fellow students learned are great tools to help people make wise decisions, she added.

"D.A.R.E. is really helpful to me because now I know how to made safe and responsible choices," said Mercedi Burk. "Something else D.A.R.E. taught me was how to respond to pressure and... to express our feelings to when we stress out. It helped out a lot for me."

According to Larsen, these students have the tools they need to make the right decisions and to say "no" to drugs, alcohol, tobacco and peer pressure. However, it's up to each of these children to use those tools.

"Even though D.A.R.E. class is over, I challenge you to use the skills you have been taught to make safe and responsible choices," Larsen said.