Students celebrate learning to say no at DARE graduation

Const. Lindsay Powers congratulates a graduate of the DARE program. The constable has been teaching Grade 6 students the risks associated with using and being involved with drugs and other controlled substances.

Susan Thompson
for Express

Three Grade 6 classes at École Routhier graduated from the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program on May 13.

The 10 week course ran for an hour every Wednesday afternoon and was taught by Const. Lindsay Powers from the McLennan RCMP detachment.

Students learned how to say no to drugs, and how to practice confidence and respect in their everyday lives.

“This is an accomplishment. We’re here to honour you. I’m proud of you and you should be proud of yourselves,” said Powers in her speech to the students and their parents.

The students learned about the dangers of alcohol abuse, how to resist peer pressure, and how to avoid violence by respecting themselves and others.

“It’s up to you to take these lessons and apply them to your everyday lives,” Powers said.

The students found they didn’t know as much about drugs and alcohol as they thought they did.

The classes watched a program on alcohol advertising and learned some surprising facts, such as most teenagers don’t drink.

The program materials generated a lot of excellent discussions both at school and at home around the dinner table.

“I think the information provided in the DARE program is excellent. Children will learn about drugs one way or another, either from knowledgeable sources or their peers,” Powers said.

It’s important for parents to keep the lines of communication open with their kids, and to continue to support, encourage, and teach them about drugs and alcohol. The DARE graduation is part of that process.

All students were required to complete a DARE essay in order to graduate the course. Six students were given special recognition by Const. Powers for writing outstanding essays that best illustrated how DARE had taught them to make good choices. Three runners up were rewarded with extra prizes, and three students read their essays to the audience of parents and teachers.

Seanna Benoit, who wrote the winning essay in Madame Angela Gauthier-Laurin’s Grade 6 French class, said drugs were “gross and irresponsible.”

All students who graduated received DARE t-shirts and certificates of achievement.

In return, the students in all three classes treated the assembled parents to their rendition of “The DARE Song.”

The RCMP provides trained DARE instructors but no funding for graduation ceremonies. Prizes, snacks and a pizza party were sponsored by the Towns of Girouxville and Donnelly and several other generous donors.

Smoky River Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) manages the funs required to offer the program to local students.

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