Dare Essay
By Emma Carson

DARE is not a verb. It is not an adjective. What is it? A noun, but not a person, place, or thing. What is it? An idea. DARE is the idea that people should say drug free. But, DARE is mainly aimed at kids. Why kids? Kids are where it all starts…..

You ask me , “Why does it all start with kids?” I’ll tell you why. Commercials, bill boards, ads, and most of all peer pressure influence KIDS to try different drugs, even if they are meant for adults. When kids see these ads and commercials for different drugs they think, “Wow! That looks cool!” They want to try it and see if it really is cool. They like it and want to keep using it. Soon they become addicted, and when they want to stop, they can’t.

Peer Pressure works pretty much the same way. A friend sees a commercial for beer. She tells you all about it. You like the sound of the product. You decide to try it. Once you do you find that you like it, and want to continue using it. Soon when you find out you can get sick from drinking beer and want to stop, you can’t. This is what usually also happens with many other things such as bill boards and media. DARE can help prevent this from happening. The earlier you learn it the faster it can help.

Now can you see how it all starts with kids? To simplify all of the above it is basically, monkey see, monkey do. Kid sees beer or other drug. Kid wants to try. Kid wants to be like the famous person who is doing the commercial. What kid sees is what kid does. Kid does not know consequences. DARE teaches consequences. What would we do without DARE?!

Taking a Stand
By Lindsay MacLeod

In DARE, you learn many important facts that will help keep you from having an awful life.  First, you learn what drugs can do to you, and how they can hurt you.  Also, you learn how to avoid drugs and violence.  More important, you also learn how to deal with certain situations and how to make the right decisions.  I have definitely stated many things that I have learned in DARE.

Earlier, I told you some of the lessons I was taught in DARE.  First, what drugs can do to you.  Drugs like tobacco or marijuana get inside your lungs and can give you cancer, which will eventually kill you.  Also, people can become addicted to drugs, which can damage your brain and make you feel very sick whenever you don't have enough of the drugs in your body.  Another lesson I learned in DARE was how to avoid drugs and violence.  If you just stay away from people who are using drugs or are violent, you will be fine.  You can always be with a big group of friends because people usually won't hurt you or bother you if you aren't alone.  Another important lesson that I learned was how to deal with difficult situations and make good decisions.  This is very important because making the right decision, or dealing with a difficult decision in the right way, can change your whole life.  For example, if someone asks you to take drugs and you say "okay," you could be making a decision that will ruin your whole life.

For me, I know what happens to people on drugs.  My aunt is a drug addict and her three older children are having trouble with drugs, too.  She has never been able to have a real job, and she has lived most of her life on welfare, being very poor.  She doesn't care about the people in her family much anymore, and she often disappears without telling anyone where she is living for months at a time.  As I said, one decision can change your whole life, and in her case it did.   I want to be drug free so that when people see me, they want to be drug free also.  Many people say that the children are our future and drugs and violence wouldn't be a good future, so everyone should be drug free.

I have told you what I learned in DARE.  Also, why DARE was important for me to learn.  Last, why I want to be drug free.  I know many people won't think of DARE when they grow up, but I will.  Just remember this: the children are our future.

“What is D.A.R.E., I asked Deputy Baker the first day he walked into our class. He told me D.A.R.E stood for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. He also told me D.A.R.E is a program for kids about staying off drugs and dealing with peer pressure. On the first day of D.A.R.E., I was ready to act serious and not to laugh. Deputy Baker started yelling “And how are my silly freaks today,” and everybody answered, “Groovy, baby!” I laughed so hard and I couldn’t wait to next week.

Although Deputy Baker is very funny and makes hilarious jokes, I still have learned a lot in D.A.R.E. Deputy Baker informed me that it doesn’t matter if if it looks “totally radical,” to take drugs and to drink, it’s really not. You can think I’m lying if you watch a lot of T.V. or see a lot of billboards. Commercials and billboards are advertisements which cause peer pressure to buy things, or in this case take drugs. You might see a commercial that says or implies that if you drink beer you will be cool. But not all commercials are bad. Commercials that don’t influence you to but things are called P.S.A.s, or Public Service Announcements. These tell you not to take drugs and use people celebrities to show you what happened to them after they took drugs. I also learned that cigarettes can give you lung cancer, even if you smoke just one a day. But the most important thing I learned was just to say NO!!.

I feel that D.A.R.E. is almost mandatory for any age. Everyone needs to know the importance of staying off drugs. As we come near the completion of D.A.R.E., I realize it was important to take the time out of class to learn about resisting drugs. I thought D.A.R.E. was both fun and interesting. I wish I could be in the sixth grade again, yet I know that there is much more to learn and many challenges ahead.

Dear Classmates and Deputy Baker:
To be honest, I used to like the smell of a cigarette burning. But when I saw a P.S.A. and started D.A.R.E., it scared me. You could wonder how a short stick, a bottle of liquid or a small pill could kill you. I have been known to give in to peer pressure. Although fashion is much different than drugs, there is still the same kind of peer pressure. I hope that drugs is one of the things I won’t give in to! It’s scary to think that if I were to do it just once, I could get addicted or die. If I could change the world right now, I would stop drugs from being made. But it’s never going to be that easy. You always need to be on guard to remember what you learned in D.A.R.E. and say NO to drugs.

I think the DARE program is a very worthwhile program. It gives kids an education about drugs, alcohol and violence. DARE helps kids who are under pressure or stress and teaches them how to make wise decisions. I think that everyone can benefit because at different times kids may face a difficult situation. We learned how to say “NO!” when we are offered illegal substances.

Deputy Baker is very wise and funny. He tells interesting and meaningful stories. His stories help the kids to remember what he teaches. He makes a good DARE officer. He taught us about the “gateway” drugs which are alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. These are most frequently used drugs. Gateway drugs can seem harmless but are actually addicting and can lead to more dangerous drugs. Deputy Baker also taught us that we don’t need these drugs to feel good about ourselves.

Kids have certain needs. They have a strong need to be accepted, loved and cared for by their family and friends. Kids feel especially good when they are accepted by other kids. True friends will accept you for who you are rather than what you do or do not do. True friends will not want you to hurt yourself by taking drugs. Kids should do sports, music or other healthy activities so that they won’t get into trouble by being bored or hanging out with the wrong type of friends. Parents also need to be involved by talking to their kids often. When communication is good between parents and kids, kids feel more loved and accepted and are less likely to turn to drugs or acts of violence.

I believe that the DARE program teaches kids how to survive in this world and stand against bad influences. The lessons are good. Deputy Baker is really great. I always looked forward to Tuesday when I knew he would be coming in to teach us more life skills and find ways to make us laugh!

D.A.R.E Essay
By Liz Chan

This year the D.A.R.E. program has taught me a lot. My D.A.R.E. officer, Deputy Baker, told me about the different drugs and how they would affect me. I learned the many ways of how to resist drugs. There are four different kinds of pressures and I was taught how to avoid them. There are also three gateway drugs or ATM. ATM means alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. The term "gateway drugs" means drugs that are most in our reach. I learned the many kind and forms drugs can come in. The most important thing I learned was how drugs can hurt me. The experience I had in D.A.R.E. changed my life.

I found that there are kids even my age that can distribute many drugs. The four pressures used are friendly, teasing, indirect, and heavy peer pressure. The easiest kind of pressure to say no to is friendly peer pressure. To say no, I would just say "No thanks". The person would understand. Sometimes he or she will not understand and go into teasing peer pressure. They can start to say mean jokes and call names but the best way to respond is to not respond or use humor to avoid a fight. One of the hardest pressures to respond to is indirect peer pressure. If you say no the person, they may take it the wrong way. I find the best way to say no is to find an excuse. The most dangerous peer pressure to say no to is heavy peer pressure. The bully wants to act superior to lure you into doing the wrong thing. The thing to do is to run away or if it endangers any lives, run home and tell the police. The best thing to do after the immediate threat is given is to ask someone to help the people who are dealing the drugs.

People can try to avoid drugs but they will always be there. The three easiest to reach drugs are alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana or AT and M. Alcohol is in drug stores, restaurants, the streets, and even at home. It comes in the form of beer, wine, and any other liquor. People who do not abuse alcohol will not suffer the bad affects of it. Tobacco is also very accessible. Someone can breathe it in even when they pass by other people who do smoke. Not only does it hurt other people's lungs but it also pollutes the air. Marijuana isn't as accessible as alcohol or tobacco. It is illegal to have any in anyone's possession. It is a gateway drug because it is a kind of weed. It can hide in fields of grass. These gateway drugs are very harmful and can get in anyone's hands.

There are many drugs in the world but the most common kinds of drugs are stimulant, depressant, and hallucinogen. A stimulant is a drug that speeds a person up. Two stimulants are nicotine and cocaine. They both are very addictive. Nicotine is in tobacco and cigarettes and that is why people can't stop chewing or smoking. Tobacco makes you have bad breath, smelly hands, and stained teeth as well as cause cancer, heart disease, and death. The other stimulant is cocaine. Not only is it addictive but makes a person confused, unable to think clearly, and short-tempered. After a while of taking cocaine the person can develop tolerance and will need more drugs. A depressant is a drug that slows a person down. Alcohol is an example of a depressant. Abusing alcohol can cause drunkenness, loss of balance, violence, loss of memory and ability to learn, personality changes, accidents, and trouble. These consequences are why it is illegal for people under twenty-one to drink. Last but certainly not least, there are the drugs that change the way a person sees, feels, and hears a hallucinogen. LSD is a type of hallucinogen. It gives people dizziness, visual changes, and restlessness. LSD can really damage you inside and out. Drugs can come in many different forms as well. They come in pills, gases, powders, and drinks. The most common is gas. Concentrated chemicals in paint can be abused. The three kinds of drugs might allow you to feel good at first, but the effects can kill you no matter what shape or form it comes in.

Drugs are very harmful poisons. They can result in physical, mental, and social problems. The drugs can cause you to have cancer or organ failure. One of the most common drugs that cause people to have physical problems is nicotine and inhalants. Many drugs that are abused result in brain damage. Alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine all alter the mind. Not only do they affect yourself but all the people around you. The mental changes can ruin social life. The personality is different and the other people who are around you see that change and will most likely not enjoy it. The results of taking drugs hurt not only you, but everyone else involved with you.

I, as a D.A.R.E. student or “Silly Freak”, promise to take this information with me in the future. I will pass on the information and apply it to such situations. If someone offered me some drugs I would recall the information Deputy Baker told me and apply it. I most likely would respond to any offer of drugs with a friendly or , if it is absolutely necessary, an aggressive no. If anyone I know has drug abuse problems, I will try to help them. I will teach them about the numerous drugs and affects they have. Lastly, I now know how to stay drug free.

D.A.R.E. Essay
By Jake Kneller

       Did you know that millions of people die every year from drugs? Well, without the D.A.R.E. program there would be millions more. And, with Deputy Baker its fun too! In this program you learn about all sorts of drugs and ways to say no! Get ready to fid out: what I learned in D.A.R.E., why its important and last but not least why I want to stay absolutely drug-free.
       I learned a lot in this wonderful program. Of course, I learned about how bad drugs are for you. Did you know that smoking cigarettes is the most preventable cause of death in the United States of America? Saying no to drugs can be really hard but now, after having the D.A.R.E. program if someone offers me drugs I can say no in various ways to get out of talking them. Everyone's self-esteem changes throughout the day. For example, if someone says "Hey, your good at basketball" your self-esteem goes up but if someone yells, "You are so bad at soccer" it doesn't make you feel good and could effect your whole entire day. Another thing I learned in D.A.R.E. and the last thing I'm going to tell you about is how hard peer-pressure is to deal with. Peer-pressure is:" A force or influence on you from others who are about you age" This is when your friends give you pressure. These are some of the many things I learned in D.A.R.E.
       D.A.R.E. is very important for my peers and I to learn. First of all, D.A.R.E. taught me not to do drugs. Yes, I already knew I shouldn't do them but this program has convinced me even more not to do drugs by helping me understand all of the consequences of drugs. A consequence is: "The result of something you do or choose not to do". A consequence of doing drugs is getting in trouble. Another consequence of doing drugs is damaging your health.  For example, if you use cocaine you can damage your nose severely and can even cause heart disease and death.  Drugs are addictive as well and can affect the way you think, work and behave. Another reason D.A.R.E. is important for me to learn is it taught me to be aware of others self-esteem so others won't hurt mine. These are a few reasons why D.A.R.E. is so important for kids to learn.
       I definitely, no questions asked, want to be drug-free for a few reasons. First I want to be healthy the rest of my life and I don't think drugs will help me at all!! Second I want to be a professional tennis player when I grow up so if I took drugs that dream would explode in mid air. And my final reason is when I'm am older I want to be able to walk up ten steps. These reasons are why I want to be drug-free.
      I hope from this essay you now know about: What I learned in D.A.R.E., Why D.A.R.E. is so important for me to learn and of course, why I want to be drug-free the rest of my life. So, if you have had, D.A.R.E. and you happen to see your officer who taught it to you I would thank them for convincing you to be safe and healthy.

This year in D.A.R.E I learned many useful things that expanded my knowledge about the harmful effects of drugs. Deputy Baker also taught the correct ways to say no to drugs and violence. I learned to deal with peer pressure and the stress that it can cause. The D.A.R.E program is a great program that helps kids everywhere understand the dangers of drugs and violence. I would like to thank D.A.R.E and Deputy Baker for teaching such an outstanding program.

Alcohol can be very dangerous if abused. I learned that you should never drink and drive for it is illegal and can cause hallucination and death. Many youngsters can get hooked on alcohol. Once you’re addicted or become an alcoholic it is very hard to stop. If you are ever asked to drive home and you have recently had an alcoholic beverage, have a friend drive instead. Many people die from driving and drinking or from being hit by a drunken driver. Hopefully, people who are dependent on alcohol will try harder to stop drinking and driving.

Many of the drugs we talked about were gateway drugs. One common gateway drug is marijuana. These drugs can lead you into using stronger drugs like cocaine and cause you to want a stronger high. Some of the ways kids get hooked on drugs and alcohol is the media, peer pressure, and from low self-esteem. They can watch misleading advertisements and be influenced by certain friends who abuse drugs and alcohol. Using assertiveness, and being confident I can tell anyone that I have no desire to try drugs or drink no matter what they say.

One of the most important things I now understand is how to deal with the six kinds of pressure. I learned that peer pressure can cause stress, which can lead to use of drugs. Friendly peer pressure is when a friend encourages you to do something in a friendly manner. Heavy peer pressure is when a friend uses aggressive language to get you to do something. Friends can even be mean and call you names to try to get you to do something you don’t want to. Peer pressure can be very convincing. Many kids are turned to the wrong direction and into the dangers of drugs.

I believe that most kids want to be drug free. Many kids caught illegally trying drugs usually develop a bad reputation. They are not usually respected by anyone with an exception of others who are doing the same as him. Kids can be expelled from school if they are caught using drugs. People who smoke and drink dangerously have bad breath and smell. If someone smokes they have a higher chance of getting cancer than someone who doesn’t smoke. Second hand smoke can also be deadly and cause cancer to others.

I want to be drug free. Right now in my life I am very happy. I have many fun things to do in my spare time. If I became involved in drugs I would lose all of my potential to have a great life. Kids who become acquainted with drugs will eventually lose interest in their family, schoolwork, and possibly themselves. I don’t want to be arrested because of illegally using drugs or from killing a person because of drunk driving. I hopefully won’t have a situation causing me to lose a close friend because of drugs. All of these consequences could be avoided if everyone did not abuse drugs.
I will make a promise not to use drugs or drink and drive.

DARE Essay
By Jackson Hoover

I feel that the DARE program is good because it taught me that drugs are not good, and if I take them they will ruin my life. It also taught me not to do illegal things. The DARE program shows what will happen if you take drugs. It has taught me a lot of things about drugs, beer, and violence and that it is best to avoid them. It also taught me how to say no to drugs and how to deal with people who want me to try drugs.

From the DARE program I learned a lot of ways to avoid drugs and why I should be drug free. One thing I learned was that if someone asks me to try drugs, I should just walk away. I also want to be drug free so I won’t look stupid and because drugs can ruin your life. My uncle took drugs and I think he is weird. He had a lot of problems in his life and he thought drugs would make him feel better, but his problems just got worse. Now my grandfather has to take care of him. That gave me an example of what happens when you take drugs and that is why I want to be drug free.

Violence causes death and bad things to happen. I think it is good to stay drug free and to avoid violence because then I’ll have a longer life. It’s best to avoid violence because then you don’t get in trouble. If you hang out with the wrong people and they do something bad then you get in trouble even though you didn’t do anything. You get in trouble for just being there with them. The DARE program taught me that it is best to stay away from troublemakers and violence.

After taking the DARE program I know I want to be drug free. I learned about what happens when you take drugs and how it can affect your life. When you take drugs you can die, ruin your life, or just simply look dumb. Some drugs are necessary and can help you if you don’t abuse them and you have your doctor’s permission to take them. However, abusing any drug is always bad for you. That is why I want to be drug free.

“What I Learned In D.A.R.E”
Caroline Gilbert

Even though I already knew many things about drugs and why not to take them, I found out that there were also many things that I didn’t know about drugs. Deputy Baker, my D.A.R.E. teacher, pointed this out to me. I had every intention that I wouldn’t do drugs, but, how did I know for sure? In D.A.R.E. we learned ways to say no, and walk away from tobacco and marijuana. Deputy Baker also told us some reasons why we might take drugs, such as pressure, or to get back at a parent. Whenever I thought about different kinds of drugs, the only kind that came to mind was tobacco, now that I took D.A.R.E. classes, I learned about many more different kinds.
I have never been, and I hope that never will be, approached by someone who asks me to take drugs, but what do I do if someone does approach me with that question? Say “no” of course! There are many ways to say “no” to someone, such as:

1. Say “no” while you walk away from the person who approached you.
2. Just say “no!”
3. Change the subject.
4. Just ignore the person.
5. Avoid all the places where you know that people smoke.
6. Hang around with non-users.
7. Repeated refusal; just keep saying “no.”
8. Give an excuse.

As you can see, there are many ways that you can say “no” to a smoker. So, the next time someone asks you to smoke a cigarette, just say “NO!”
“Why would I ever want to do drugs anyway?” you ask? Well, there are lots of reasons why you’d want to do drugs! Such as to get back at a parent, please a special friend, try to be cool, or just because you want to know what it’s like! Well, to tell you the truth, none of those reasons are good excuses to smoke. If you have to smoke because of a friend, maybe you should re-think about what kind of friends that you really want. If you want to smoke because you think that it’ll make you cool, you should reconsider! Not only is smoking totally not cool, but it also gives you bad breath, stained teeth, an a shorter life. Is it really worth it to smoke just because of those reasons?
There are many different kinds of drugs, such as marijuana, nicotine, and alcohol. Marijuana is a mind-altering drug, which means that it’ll give you slow reflexes, poor memory, short attention span, inability to think, and changes in sense of time and space. Nicotine is highly addictive and increases the heart rate, causes the blood vessels to narrow, and makes the heart work harder. Alcohol is a depressant drug, which causes drunkenness, loss of coordination, increase of violence, inability to learn and remember changes in personality, increase in accidents, and trouble with other people. Why would anyone want any of those things happening to them? I know, you’ll lose everyone’s trust, one of the most important things in life.

My Dare Essay
by Jarrett Berl

In Dare I learned so much valuable information that I'll be able to use my whole life… everything from how to say no to drugs to what you should do if someone is teasing you. I learned my rights as an American citizen. We were taught the three different types of drugs. The first is stimulants that speed up a person, the next is depressants that slow a person down, and the last is hallucinogens that alter how a person sees, hears, and feels. We learned about gateway drugs such as marijuana. These are the drugs that lead to even more serious drugs. I considered the consequences of taking and not taking drugs. If you take drugs or drink alcohol you will forget your problems for a while, but you will never work them out and they will still be with you. Some other negative affects are poor memory, slow reflexes, and an inability to think clearly. As you can see the horrific impact of drugs and alcohol far outweigh the "supposed" benefits.    

Some other things we learned were how to help a friend who got into trouble with drugs and alcohol. Our Dare officer told us that 1/3 of the people in our class will be drinking. I know I will not be one of them! I learned how to say no to friendly peer pressure, teasing peer pressure, indirect peer pressure, and heavy peer pressure. Our class learned how to say no in the heat of the moment. We tried to use the mind process of why someone would drink and we concluded that they did it to feel cool and older. Is the risk worth it? Absolutely not! You may get caught and be in trouble with the law and your parents.

When someone asks you to do something you don't want to do or don't feel comfortable doing you need to react in a certain way. You want to be confidant not passive or demanding, and you need to declare your own rights yet respect other people's. You can't let people push you around. Be confident and calm, stand up straight, and make eye contact.  That's the way to stand up for yourself. This is how I act.

Dare taught me how to be cool and drug free. I am writing this paper and you're probably wondering why I am telling you all this if I'm going to be drug free. I didn't need to take Dare to learn not to take drugs. The thing is Dare not only taught me how to not take drugs but much more. Dare went over how to turn drugs down, a possible problem in high school. I learned in a fun environment. Our Dare officer, Deputy Baker, was hilarious and kind. He offered to help us privately with our own personal problems. The way he presented the information will stick in my mind forever. Thank you Deputy Baker for this experience of learning about drugs.

D.A.R.E. Essay
By Lauren Iezza

I love life! I have a very good life! I want to live a long life! Drugs are not a part of my life! I have learned many things in the D.A.R.E. program. One of the many things I learned is shy I should be drug-free. I should be drug-free because I can die at a very young age. I could also get very sick and live a sad short life. I don’t think that I or anyone that I know would want to go through life like that.

During the process of D.A.R.E., I learned that I need to stay away from friends that are not drug-free. I now know how important it is to stay away from anyone who is taking drugs or drinking alcohol. The saying “You are judged by the company you keep” is very true. Not only are you judged, but you could be hurt or killed by someone that you chose to “hang out with” that was using drugs or alcohol. Although many people are drug free, others are not, so you always have to be careful with who you choose as your friends. When you make new friends, you really have to get to know them, to find out whether they use drugs and alcohol.

Another very important lesson that I learned through the D.A.R.E. program was about letting go of stress. I learned about ways to control and deal with stress. One way to deal with it, would be if you have a test, all you have to do is study and be prepared. At that point, it’s out of your hands and you just have to do your best. Another way to control stress, would be if someone who you don’t like, wants to hang out with you, you need to tell them in a nice way, to hang out with other people. If you “bottle it up” and don’t talk to the person, you will start to feel stressed-out and possibly turn to drugs or alcohol to make the problem go away. In reality, the problem doesn’t go away, you just hide it for awhile in a very dangerous way.

The last thing that D.A.R.E. taught me, was to learn different ways to say “No.” You have to be brave enough to stand up to someone and tell them “no.” One of the ways to say “no”, is to just say “no” and then quickly change the subject. Also, my way would be to just ignore the person who is talking to you. “Be bold and brave,” that’s what I learned.

Deputy Baker taught me and many other kids, to resist drugs and violence. When I was in D.A.R.E. , I learned in a very fun way, to choose life, and not drugs and alcohol. If I had a choice to take the D.A.R.E. program all over again, that would be one of the few things that I would not say “No” to.

DARE Essay
By: Elana Langer

          All students should participate in DARE. It’s a wonderful program that teaches kids to be drug free. Being drug free is very important because no one wants to get lung cancer, blood disease, heart disease, gum disease, or have any other problems with their body. DARE is the number one way to learn about how to be drug free. I think DARE is very important to learn.

          Not only is DARE a great program, but you learn a lot. For example, I learned how to say no to drugs, what the consequences are if you do drugs, and how to deal with stress. There are 8 ways to say no to drugs. Those 8 ways are: saying “No thanks,” giving a reason or excuse, repeated refusal (or keep saying no,) walking away, changing the subject, avoiding the situation, cold shoulder, or strength in numbers. There are also many consequences for doing drugs. Some of those consequences include: getting lung cancer, blood disease, heart disease, or gum disease.

          The first step in dealing with stress is calming down. Then looking at your choices. Finally, making a decision. Remember to look at your pros and cons of each choice. Also remember that this choice could change your life.

          I want to be drug free for my entire life. Some people might think doing drugs is cool, but I think it’s wrong and stupid. I want to be drug free because I want to live as long as I can, I want to be healthy, and I don’t want to do anything illegal. Drugs are very addicting, so even just one try of a drug could damage you for life. I strongly advise people everywhere not to do drugs!

What I Learned In DARE
By Jake Richard

Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and more! There are so many things that I learned in DARE. Deputy Baker taught us many things including the gateway drugs and what drugs can do to your body. He also taught us about “peer pressure” and how to stay strong when “friends” try to get you to use drugs. I’m so glad we took DARE. It really changed my whole opinion on picking your friends.

Before DARE, I had heard of “the gateway drugs” but I never knew what they were. The gateway drugs are alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. They are called the gateway drugs because they lead to stronger, more dangerous drugs. An easy way that Deputy Baker taught us to remember them is ATM, like the ATM machine at a bank. So when you’re driving down the road and you pass by the bank, you see the ATM machine and think ATM, alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana, the gateway drugs!

Everyone knows that there are good drugs and bad drugs. All drugs affect the way that your body works, this could be good, or it could be a bad thing. Drugs that make your body go faster and work harder are called stimulants. Cocaine and speed are both examples of stimulants. Drugs that make your body slower and sluggish are called depressants. Marijuana and alcohol are two examples of depressants. Both stimulants and depressants can be good or bad.

No one who is really your friend will get you to try something that will ultimately be bad for you. If you know what traps to avoid and have the self-confidence to be strong and say “no”, then you can you live a long and healthy life, drug-free. I think that DARE is a great idea because it teaches kids about drugs and why not to do them.

DARE to be Drug-Free
Susan Walters

Being a kid in middle school these days is tough. You’re old enough to make your own decisions, yet young enough to still need help with your problems. The older kids are starting to accept us into their world (being friends) and are putting us in a spot that we might not be comfortable being in. There’re many decisions we will have to be making if we want to be friends with these kids, both good and bad. One of the bad things we’re going to be deciding about is the concept of drugs.

DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) taught me a lot of things I didn’t know. I learned about the three gateway drugs, or the drugs that lead you into using harder drugs. The gateway drugs are marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco. I also learned about pressure and where it comes from. Pressure can come from your family, your friends or peers, the media, and from yourself. One of the final things I learned about is stress. Stress can come from being excited, scared, or nervous. There is a lot I still have to learn.

The DARE program is important for all kids my age to learn. It tries to explain to and prevent us from making bad decisions about drugs when the time comes. The DARE officer, Deputy Baker, teaches us why drugs are bad, in a fun way that will hopefully make us remember what we learned when we have to decide our future. Deputy Baker taught my class about different drugs and explained if they were bad. DARE has probably changed a lot of kids minds about drugs.

Lots of kids want to be drug free, including me. The problem is staying drug free. There are many reasons I want to be drug-free. One being I don’t want to die and drugs can do that to you. They can also get you addicted, which I don’t want to become. Taking mind-altering drugs like alcohol can make you not only sick but also injured physically. Finally, I don’t want to get in trouble, I know what will happen if I do.

It’s hard being a kid these days with so many pressures. DARE tries to stop those pressures and stop kids from making bad decisions. I learned a lot from Deputy Baker. DARE is important to learn and it convinced me to be drug-free. I’m going to stay that way too.

Kristen Stankowski
D.A.R.E.

Many kids take drugs and do other things that are against the law. Thourgh D.A.R.E., you can learn how to stay away from drugs and avoid violence. Many of the children who have tried drugs or have done other illegal actions say that they were pressured to or say that everyone else does it. The truth is most kids stay drug free.

Also, there are many ways to avoid peer pressure. You can give a reason or excuse, walk away, change the subject, avoid the situation, give your peer the cold shoulder, hang around with other non-users, or just simply say no!

You don't need to take drugs to impress someone you don't know. Also you don't need to take drugs or do something wrong because a "friend" asked you to, because that "friend" shouldn't force you to do anything you don't want to do.

Think of the consequences to taking drugs, being violent, stealing or vandalizing. With drugs and alcohol, the consequences are: drunkness, loss of coordination, increase of violence, inability to learn and remember, personality changes, bad breath, stained teeth, cancer, heart diasese, and your death or the death of someone else. Drugs also cause slow reflexes, short attention span, inability to think, changes in senses of time, breathing problems, heart attacks and liver damage. This list could literally go on forever. Do you think that those consequences are worth it?

Trying drugs just even once limits your chances in life forever. You could die, spend your life in a hospital, or behind bars, or just be depressed, in debt with no friends wishing that you hadn't taken that drug or committed that crime. Open up your eyes, there's a happy world and a place for you! 

It's one of the safest cities in the country. And now, Thousand Oaks can boast the distinction of having one of the safest schools in California.

And the first—of the state's 8000 schools—with an award officially recognizing it's drug-free campus.

On Tuesday, the 930 studnts at Colina Middle School in Thousand Oaks were reminded by city officials and representatives from the office of U.s. Rep Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) that they have set a good example to other schools in their fight agains drugs.

For years, Ventura County Sheriff's deputies in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, D.A.R.E. for short, have led classes in self-esteem and personal safety, as well as in the dangers of peer pressure—all in an effort to create a drug-free environment.

"All of our schools are really great in Thousand Oaks, but Colina has out-shined them all," said Deputy Greg Sharp, D.A.R.E. officer. "It's the kids, the parental involvement. D.A.R.E. itself can do nothing without the school and the homes."

At an after lunch assembly, Lawrence E. Horner, manager of Sherman's Conejo Valley office, presented Principal Mike Waters and Assistant Principal Margaret Callahan a certificate of congressional recognition and a special U.S. flag that had flown over the Capitol.

This school has set a shining example," Horner said. "Whether you realize it or not, lots of positive things have happened here."

While officials said the school has always been safe, it's been the school's approach in getting students involved in the D.A.R.E. program to create a safe environment and resist drugs that put it over the top, Horner said.

"You have set an example other schools have yet to accomplish," he said.

Students stood up to cheer and the auditorium erupted in applause as Waters and Callahan unfolded the specially dedicated flag.

Callahan said the school's current flag will be retired and the new one will be flown over the campus as a reminder of the school's achievement. The certificate will be framed and hung in the office.

"We were really surprised," Callahan said of the reward.

Other awards given out at the assembly included a certificate of congressional recognition to Sharp for his work in the D.A.R.E. program and a certificate of commendation presented to the school by Thousand Oaks Mayor Linda Parks.