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Students are required to write an essay to graduate
from their D.A.R.E. program.
Below are winning essays from students.
Naomi S
I have learned many things in the D.A.R.E. program., but one
of the most important things I've learned in D.A.R.E. is
that I'm not the only 6th grader who is going to have issues
and problems with people trying to persuade you to do
alcohol and drugs. But during the D.A.R.E. program I learned
how to survive and handle that kind of stuff when the time
comes. I enjoyed D.A.R.E. very much the experience of
learning from a real police officer of the dangers of drugs
and alcohol was interesting especially when she told police
stories and showed and explained to us what her gadgets are
on her police belt and last but not least when she answered
all the curious 6th graders questions about anything they
wanted to know about the law.
One of the important things about D.A.R.E. was learning
the dangers of drugs and alcohol and what it can do to your
brain. We got to see pictures of brains that have been
affected and damaged by alcohol and got to compare them with
some that have not, in some there was a humongous difference
and others there was not. That helped me to learn the
importance of what drugs and alcohol can do to your brain.
We also learned about the three R's (Respectful,
Responsible, and Realistic) the three R's are sort of like a
thought process you use when you're in a dangerous situation
or when your angry. Like if I went to a party and there was
beer and drugs and I wanted to know what to do I would use
the three R's like if I thought I should just stay at the
party and not drink I would think is it responsible,
respectful and realistic if it wasn't all three R's then I
would put it aside and look for another suggestion until I
found one that works. Another interesting thing we learned
is about the court process. Like for example there was a
scenario where two girls brought alcohol to school for after
a tournament at the end of the tournament the girls got the
alcohol out and shared it with two other girls. Then we got
to pretend that we were in court there was a judge, and
there was two defensive attorneys and prosecutors. This made
a huge impact on what I thought about these things, like I
had no idea that drugs and alcohol would have such a huge
impact on you like it does. And I had no idea that there was
a thought process like the three R's that could help you
that much when you're in a situation. And last but not least
I had no idea that the court worked that way.
I think it is important to stay drug and alcohol free
because using drugs and alcohol can ruin your life and mess
you up. It not only effects you it also effects the ones
around you. And once you start it will be very difficult to
quit it will take time money and tons of help and in the end
it wont be worth even starting because it not only took up a
bunch of time and money but it also hurt the ones around
you.
Here are the basic skills I learned in D.A.R.E. I
learned drugs and alcohol are very bad for you and can make
a huge impact on you and your life. I learned that when you
are in a serious situation like at a alcohol party you need
to stop and think about it. I learned that alcohol companies
use stars and other methods to entice you to by alcohol. I
learned the way the court works and finally I learned what
all of the gadgets on the police belt do and how they work.
I pledge that I will stay away from drugs and not
underage drink I will try and make the best decisions when
it comes time to make them. And I will not allow peer
pressure to make me do the wrong thing.

Jackson J.
Hi, I am Jackson and this year I have learned D.A.R.E. I
have learned a lot this year about drug abuse, smoking and
under aged drinking. I have learned a lot of skills. I know
so much you could quiz me on it. Actually I will tell you
what we have learned.
At the beginning we learned about each other by asking
questions like who has red hair? Or who likes to dance? Then
we learned how drugs affect your brain. And what parts does
a certain drug affect. That was certainly interesting.
Then we learned about how many 8th graders did a
certain type of drug. Did you know 93% of all 8th graders do
not smoke cigarettes. Also 96% of the 8th grade do not
inhale. 94% of 8th graders do not use marijuana. So not
everybody does it.
Then later we learned what to do in a real life
situation by acting out the "ask if you want beer" scenario.
We learned the three R's. They stand for Responsible,
Respectful and Realistic. We also learned 1) Define the
problem, 2) Generate alternatives (three R's), 3) Choose the
best alternative, and 4) Act. That's what you are supposed
to do in a real life situation.
So I told you all about D.A.R.E. It was educational and
Mrs. Shaq made it fun. She used Fire Cracker Arny. She also
used some really cool cop stories.
Now that I'm thinking about it ........ I promise to be
drug free and to make good choices throughout high school
and beyond. I also promise to obey the law. I hope my
friends do the same.

Katrina B.
In D.A.R.E. I have learned that if someone walks up to me
and tells me to do something that is bad or that I don't
feel comfortable with, then I need to say something that has
the three R's and I need to make eye contact. My body
language needs to be firm and I need to speak in a loud
voice. These things have helped me to know what to do and
how to make good choices in a bad situation. I have also
learned that you need to think about things before you act
and that it's best to have something to say planned out
before it really happens. I think that this program is very
helpful to kids in need.
I've learned about the three R's, respectful,
responsible, and realistic. The three R's have really helped
me to think things through before I act on them. I've had my
moments during D.A.R.E. and I've used the three R's and
they've helped me to make better choices and those problems
turned out okay. I also like to use humor while I'm using
the three R''s.
I thought that the body language stood out to me. I've
learned that it is very important to look at the person your
talking to straight in his eyes, stand firm, and speak in a
loud voice. If you don't do these things then the person who
is giving you the drug, alcohol, or cigarette will feel
encouraged and won't back down. I'm pretty sure that this
will help me if I have problems later in life.
I have learned that drugs, alcohol, and tobacco can
damage your brain permanently. It can affect important parts
of your brain, like your pain. If it takes you five seconds
to feel pain from something then that's bad. For example if
you accidentally placed your hand on a stove burner and left
it there for five seconds then felt the pain and pulled it
off then you would have severely burned your hand. I've
never known that those kinds of things are so horribly bad
for you.
I pledge that if I'm ever in a bad situation then I
will use the three R's, have firm body language and most of
all try to avoid places with alcohol at any cost.

Gustavo F.
The D.A.R.E. program is totally cool. This program teaches
me to be drug free.
I'm going to talk about smoking, drinking/alcohol and
making wise decisions.
Let's talk about smoking first. Smoking is bad for your
body and your brain. Your life is shorter when you smoke.
You can kill people that don't smoke. Second hand smoke is
one way that kills people that don't smoke. Second hand
smoke is where somebody breaths in the smoke from a smoker.
Smoking ruins your life and your family, friends, or
relatives lives too.
Now let's talk about drinking/alcohol. Drinking can
mess up your body and your brain. You can get drunk if you
drink too much. If you start driving while drunk your going
to crash. You can also get really sick and die. Never drive
while you are drunk because your putting other peoples lives
in danger. Don't go drinking.
Now lets talk about making wise decisions. When there
is problem, you should use your brain. First you stop and
define the problem. Then think of ideas that you could do.
Use the three R's. They are Responsible, Respectful, and
Realistic. Then choose the best decision that uses the three
R's. Then you would act.
I pledge to make wise decision on alcohol, tobacco, and
other drugs because what it can do to your body and your
life.

Phoebe H.
I have learned a lot of things in D.A.R.E. I learned about
the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol. I also learned how
to say no and how to talk and look at a person without being
timid. I also learned how to solve problems by using certain
steps.
The first thing I learned about was different kinds of
drugs. Then, about what the effects of those drugs are.
Something interesting that I found out was that alcohol is
just as bad as some other drugs. This was helpful to learn
so we can realize what could happen to us if we decide to do
drugs or drink alcohol.
In D.A.R.E. I also learned about ways to make good
decisions. For example, if someone was to ask you to smoke,
what could you do? I learned to define the problem, find
your choices, pick on that has the 3 R's (Responsible,
Respectful, Realistic), choose the best choice and then act.
Lastly, you look back and see if you made a good choice. I
think this was helpful so that when you get put on the spot
you have some idea of what to do.
D.A.R.E. has made an impact on me in many ways. I
learned that really not a lot of people do drugs it just
feels that way sometimes. I also learned to say "NO". One
other thing I learned was how to speak with confidence.
I have learned so many things in D.A.R.E. I learned
just how bad drugs are. I learned about how to plan things
that I should say when I get put on the spot to smoke or do
drugs. I learned skills on how to speak so that I am
respectful but make my point. Lastly, I am now aware of the
things people and drugs can do to you.
I really liked the D.A.R.E. program. It was a fun and
educational way to learn about drugs and violence. i think
it was good to learn about drugs and violence for many
reasons. One reason is so that we know what to do before it
happens. I am glad we did D.A.R.E. so now I'm prepared for
whatever may happen in my future.
I pledge to stay drug free my whole life, never smoke
and make respectful, responsible and realistic choices.

Taylor M.
Why do we have D.A.R.E.? We have D.A.R.E. to learn why we
should never do drugs, abuse, bully, cyber bully and
violence. If we learn these things now, we should remember
it in our teen years. Officer Shackelford has spent a lot of
her time teaching us not to do drugs and why.
Body: What I learned in D.A.R.E. is that you have one
body and YOU have one chance to take care of it. When
we have D.A.R.E. you feel good and safe because you learn
what not to do and how to react. we have seen people's
brains when they have done drugs. It was all blue, it's
supposed to be healthy and different colors. If you do
drugs, sniff inhalants, or smoke it ruins your brain.
In D.A.R.E. we have learned how to use body language
such as posture, eye contact, and a strong voice. We have
learned how to stand up for our self and to say NO.
Officer Shackelford has shared us stuff that 8th graders do
like drink, smoke, marijuana. It was amazing to see how many
did. That's on thing I want to stay out of. In D.A.R.E. we
could act out movies about drugs or people asking you for
beer. And the class graded them on their posture, eye
contact and strong voice.
Conclusion: I am glad I am in D.A.R.E. It has taught me
how to take charge in my life. We learned the three R's,
Responsible, Respectful, Realistic way to handle a problem.
I hope I will never do drugs and be drug free forever. Thank
you Officer Shackelford for helping me learn to be healthy
and to do the right thing.
Pledge: I, Taylor, will be drug free, alcohol forever
and stay healthy. It will be the cool and right thing to do.

Taylor D.
D.A.R.E. is a program about drug abuse
resistance. D.A.R.E. has helped many people including myself
make the right decisions. The D.A.R.E. decision making model
has also helped me. I know that when I have a problem I need
to tell an adult I trust. I would not have known that before
I started D.A.R.E. I would have tried to solve any problem I
have by myself and it would possibly get physical. Now I
know that a fight should never have to get physical. I have
learned how harmful drugs and alcohol is and I have learned
how I can stop people from doing the wrong thing without
getting violent. I can help my parents and friends if they
do make the wrong choice by helping them through the harm
and pain they have put themselves through because of D.A.R.E.
I will never forget all of the harmful things drugs and
alcohol can do and now I know that if I do drink alcohol to
only drink on special occasions. My D.A.R.E. officer and all
she did for us she spent her time and her energy to teach us
all of this stuff and I hope my friends will use the
information to help themselves in situations like the ones
we have talked about. I will never forget my D.A.R.E.
officer she always helped us with our problems. My favorite
D.A.R.E. lesson was when we talked about friends I had a lot
of fun we did various fun activities. I have learned how to
stop my friends from getting in deep situations like
violence and predators because of D.A.R.E. I am really glad
that we got to do D.A.R.E. instead of any other program. We
have learned about everything including the harmful effects
of tobacco.
We also learned that we have to be responsible for our
actions and if we choose to do drugs we may die. We have had
so much fun and we also had the boring times like they
lasted 2 seconds and then her comes the fun again. All of
the class now knows that we have to be more careful than we
have been before. We have lots of fun but I know now that I
am responsible for my own actions so if I do drugs it is my
fault not anyone else's so when someone is trying to make me
do drugs say 'NO'. And that concludes my essay.

Claire M.
I learned a lot in my DARE lessons. I learned about peer
pressure, all the different kinds of peer pressure, and what
you can do to make the right decisions. We learned different
facts about alcohol, smoking, and marijuana. And finally, we
learned about what DARE really means.
First we learned about what DARE means. It means Drug
Abuse Resistance Education. I wouldn't have guessed all of
that but now I know.
The next week our class learned how to simply flip the
flap. Flipping the flap just is a way that I learned to
remember the DARE decision making model. The DARE decision
making model helps you make the right decision. The steps to
it is...
Define - Describe what the problem or opportunity is
Assess - What are your choices?
Respond - Make a choice. Use facts and information you have
gathered
Evaluate - Review your decision. Did you make a good choice?
Some facts I learned that really interested me that I
didn't know before was that .....
* 7% of 8th graders smoke
* There are over 200 known poisons in cigarette smoke
* Marijuana smoke contains 50-70% more of cancers causing
chemicals than tobacco smoke
* Smokers have more colds and upper respiratory problems
* In the last 30 days, 16% of 8th graders drank alcohol
* the legal limit of alcohol in Alaska is 0.08 and 0.5 and
over means you're dead
I think it's important to stay drug free because if you
do so you will have a long, healthy, and happy life.
I had lots of fun learning all these helpful facts with
my DARE officers. I think every school should have this
awesome and educational drug program.

Zachery M.
What I learned about DARE was how bad
Alcohol, Marijuana, and Cigarettes are. Drugs are very
addictive and ruin your life. I can tell you about alcohol,
marijuana, and cigarettes.
Alcohol can do a lot of damage to your body, for
example it can mess with your brain. Like loss of self
control, poor judgment, and it can slow reflexes. It is
illegal for any one under 21 to drink alcohol. Do not ever
mix alcohol with medicine because it is dangerous. Alcohol
does not just effect you it can hurt people around you.
Alcohol can make you do hurtful things to your family. Do
not drink and drive because you will go to jail or even kill
yourself or others.
The second thing I will tell you about is marijuana.
Smoking marijuana can cause breathing problems, short term
memory loss, and can also slow coordination and reflexes.
marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more of cancer causing
chemicals than tobacco. Marijuana is illegal in the United
States. Marijuana users have an increased risk of cancer.
The last thing I will talk about is cigarettes. There
are known to be 200 poisons in cigarette smoke. The poisons
in cigarettes can dry your skin out and cause wrinkles and
can also turn your teeth yellow. Smoking cigarettes can also
cause breathing problems and heart disease. Smoking is the
most common cause of lung cancer. Cigarettes contain a
powerful and addictive substance called nicotine. More than
400,000 people die from tobacco each year. This is prevented
by quit smoking or do not start.
Those are just some of the harmful affects of drugs.
Now that you know what could happen, STOP NOW!! I PLEDGE TO
BE DRUG FREE!!

Laura S.
In D.A.R.E. I have learned a lot. I have mainly learned
about how to stay away from drugs. I have also learned about
a lot of different kinds of drugs and what they can do to me
if I use them.
In the first eek of D.A.R.E. we learned what the two
meanings of D.A.R.E. are. One meaning is Drug Abuse
Resistance Education, another one is Define Assess Respond
and Evaluate the D.A.R.E. decision making model. We also
learned all the D.A.R.E. rules. We also learned about what
is inside our D.A.R.E. planners.
In week two we learned about tobacco. We learned that
it can kill you and that tobacco kills over 400,000 people
every year.
In week four we learned about alcohol. We learned that
alcohol can put you in a coma or even kill you. We also
learned how to make a wise decision about alcohol.
In week five we learned about alcohol ads. The most
surprising thing about alcohol ads is that they put those
ads on baby bibs. We also learned that those ads influence
young people to try drugs by making them curious.
In week six we learned about being a good friend and
how good of a friend we really are. The qualities that I
have as a good friend are honesty and trustworthiness.
In week seven we learned why it is hard to say 'NO' to
our friends and why it is important to make your own
decisions. It is hard to say 'NO' to our friends because
they are your friends and you might think if you tell 'NO'
they will not want to be your friend anymore. It is
important to make your own decisions because nobody else
know what you want.
In week eight the LAST week we talked about how D.A.R.E.
decision making model could help me make good decisions by
reminding me how to make decisions.
To put everything I just wrote into a nutshell, I
learned how to say 'NO' to drugs an what they can do to me.
One mroe thing we also learned about Response Styles
1. Unsure
2. Demanding
3. Confident.
Thanks for reading my D.A.R.E. Report.

Armoni E.
These past weeks we had a D.A.R.E. class. The D.A.R.E.
program was awesome and I liked the class. Officer Lowery
taught me how to make good decisions on saying 'NO' to
drugs. This is some things that I have learned about in
D.A.R.E. I learned about these three things Marijuana,
Tobacco, and Alcohol. This is what I learned about Tobacco.
I learned that tobacco is a plant that you smoke, it causes
breathing problems, you can have colds and upper respiratory
problems, and did you know that you could have heart
disease? The next thing I learned is about Marijuana. This
is what I learned about Marijuana. I learned that Marijuana
causes breathing problems just like Tobacco, it affects your
b rain and your body, and it gives you short-term memory
loss and the ability to concentrate. This is the last thing
I learned about is Alcohol. This is what I learned. I
learned that Alcohol is illegal for anyone under the age of
21, Alcohol can damage almost every organ in your body,
Alcohol goes directly to your blood stream, and you can have
slurred speech. Thanks for teaching me about the D.A.R.E.
program. I really liked the D.A.R.E. program.
My pledge is to not do drugs. I vow to not do any drugs
and try my best to stay away from them and if someone
offers me drugs I will always say 'NO'. Thank you Officer
Lowery for teaching all of us.

Amy T.
I have enjoyed learning D.A.R.E. with Officer Lowery and my
class. Our class has learned lots of stuff about drugs the
past few weeks. What I have learned is, what D.A.R.E. means
Define, Assess, Respond, and Evaluate. I learned about how
to make good decisions about drugs and other things. I have
also learned how to say "NO" to drugs. If you are under the
age 21 it is illegal to drink alcohol. I have learned that
tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol., and how these three things
can be dangerous to take.
Learning about D.A.R.E. is very important because when
I grow up, I will know that drugs are illegal, and it's not
healthy for your body. Drugs are dangerous. I was really
amazed to learn about tobacco because it can make your teeth
yellow or rotten. It was good to learn how tobacco can
damage your body.
I have learned may important things from Officer Lower.
We did amazing things together like writing topics on the
board. My class watched this one movie about selling drugs
and it was awful seeing how companies promote alcohol on
clothes, signs, magazines, and on TV. We also learned about
Peer pressure. Peer pressure is being pressured by your
friends to do something that is wrong or something you don't
want to do. I have learned lots and lots of stuff from
Officer Lowery about tobacco, marijuana, alcohol, peer
pressure, and being a good friend. Thank you Officer Lowery
for helping me to know why I should stay away from drugs now
and in the future. I, Amy, pledge to myself that I will
always say "NO" to drugs.

Amber G.
During D.A.R.E. I have learned a lot of facts about Tobacco,
Marijuana, Alcohol and a lot of other things. Hear are some
facts about Tobacco, Marijuana, and alcohol. (Tobacco facts)
Smoking causes breathing problems, heart disease, and lung
cancer. Cigarettes contain nicotine a powerfully addictive
substance. (Marijuana facts) Smoking marijuana causes
breathing problems short-term memory loss and more colds and
upper respiratory problems. Marijuana can also be addictive.
(Alcohol facts) alcohol slows down the brain and body.
Examples are poor judgment, memory lapses, and slurred
speech. Alcohol can damage every organ in your body. Alcohol
is illegal for anyone under 21. Mixing alcohol with medicine
is dangerous.
I have learned a lot of things in D.A.R.E. One of the
things I've learned is to make choices like if someone asked
you to smoke you have the choice to smoke or to not smoke.
I've also learned about friendship and who are your real and
true friends. You can tell who your real friends are, is
they don't ask you to do drugs or smoke. I've also learned
about peer pressure. Peer pressure is when you think
negative about yourself.
All the things I've learned are very important for my
future and my present. I've learned how to make choices on
about saying NO to drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana.
I've learned on doing other stuff than doing tobacco. I've
also learned about friendship and how to chose your friends.
We've also acted out on how to handle a situation when you
are asked to do drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana.
I, Amber G., pledge to not use drugs, alcohol, tobacco,
or marijuana in the present and future. If I do I will know
what I've done is a wrong for my body and mind and will try
to stop when ever possible.

Kekoa M.
What I learned in D.A.R.E. is that
smoking/drinking can mess up your life and body. I learned
that selling tobacco is illegal to somebody under the
age of 19. I learned that smokers have more colds and upper
respiratory problems. I learned that smoking is the #1 cause
of lung cancer. Smoking can cause yellow teeth and smelly
breath.
Over 400,000 people die each year from smoking. I
learned that cigarettes contain nicotine, a powerful
substance that causes addiction. I learned that there are
more than 200 known poisons in tobacco. I learned how to
define, Asses, respond, evaluate. I learned that marijuana
users have an increased risk of cancer. Marijuana is illegal
in the United States. There is more tar in marijuana than
tobacco.
Smoking marijuana causes breathing problems. Marijuana
affects your brain and body. Marijuana can cause memory-loss
and the ability to not concentrate. Marijuana smoke contains
50% to 70% more of some cancer causing chemicals than
tobacco smoke. I also learned that it is true that one beer
has as much alcohol as a glass of wine, and it is false that
alcohol can only hurt you if you are the one drinking. I
also learned peer pressure also. I also got to play as a
character. I got to be James as on of them. I also had
personal pressure situation.
I, Kekoa, pledge not to smoke/drink or even do drugs. I
pledge not to do force somebody to do drugs/drink/smoke/. I
pledge to not sell drugs to anybody.

Issa Y.
In D.A.R.E. I learned many things. I learned about drugs and
by doing drugs it would kill you. It's not a good thing to
do drugs. Many people do drugs because they are weird. Drugs
have some unhealthy chemicals inside of it and it can kill
you. Cigarettes give you yellow teeth. Your lungs turn
black, and you will get cancer. There are some poisons
inside of the cigarettes.
Tobacco can give your skin wrinkles and it can give you
bad breath. If you chew tobacco it will give you hard time
to play sports. Some peoples die because of lung cancer and
because the smell of another smoke gives them cancer.
Marijuana can give you loss of memory and it will not
let you concentrate. Marijuana can give you cancer too, and
it is illegal to sell marijuana. It will also give you bad
breath. Marijuana has more chemicals than tobacco smoke.
If you drink too much alcohol it could lead you to
death. Alcohol can cause your blood stream to disease.
Alcohol can damage all organs in your body. Alcohol is
illegal until age 21. If you mix alcohol with medicine it is
very dangerous. any kind of beer, wine and liquor are
alcohol.
I, ISSA, PROMISE not to do drugs and smoke tobacco or
drink alcohol.

Ying H.
People like to do bad things, but Officer Lowery tells us to
not do things like drugs. Drugs can get people or you a cold
and upper respiratory problems. When you do smoking it gets
your lungs bad and yellow teeth and bad breath. there are
200 known poisons in cigarette smoke. There are 400,000
Americans who die from smoking tobacco. Non-smokers can also
die of lung cancer if they breathe other people's smoke.
Smoking marijuana can affect your body and mind. It can
make you lose short-term memory, the ability to concentrate.
Marijuana contains cancer causing chemicals and is illegal
to possess in the United States. If you drink too much
alcohol it can slow down your body. You can make poor
judgment and even loss of self-control when you drink
alcohol. You can die from drinking alcohol and taking drugs.
People who like to take drugs, marijuana, tobacco and
alcohol are not good people.
I'm Ying. I promise to Officer Lowery that I will not
drink alcohol. And I will also not take drugs. Officer
Lowery tells me about all bad things in drugs and alcohol.
She also tells me about people who take drug and alcohol, so
they are sent to jail. I promise that i will never do that
for sure.

Teng
In this report I'm writing what I learning in D.A.R.E., why
it important, and how I feel. I learned that smoking and
drinking alcohol is bad for your body. Many kids think that
it is cool. Well, I found out some way to say I don't want
drugs. Like say it is a bad thing, or say I'm going to Red
Apple, so sorry. There are lot of ways to say no to tobacco,
marijuana, and alcohol, or other drugs.
Now I will tell why it is important. Your body gets
worse. It might attack your brain. Those things will change
your life into a bad life. Before making friends, see if
they are nice or bad.
This is how I feel. People who do drugs don't even care
that we said that it is bad for your body. The kids think we
are lying or something else. It is getting worse for all the
kids. D.A.R.E. knows what is right or wrong for you so I
feel they are cool.
"I pledge I will never do something bad like that".

Jasmine
D.A.R.E. is a fun class and it makes you think about the
choices you can make. It's cool one day I will be a
healthier person because of the information I've learned. I
swear to try to be a good person and I don't want to do
drugs because drugs can ruin everything. I would like to
make positive choices with my life. School is important and
my family especially a college education. I want to remain
drug free.
Some of the things I learned in D.A.R.E. is about
drugs how they can hurt me and you. Marijuana is illegal.
and once you do it you'll be stuck to it. Don't get stuck!
Marijuana users get bad cancer, marijuana affects your
ability to do sports and the loss of the ability to
concentrate. I pledge to keep my family from doing drugs!

Deanna M.
DARE had taught me that smoking marijuana causes breathing
problems, and people who smoke it have more colds and upper
respiratory problem. Marijuana affects your brain and body
and effects the way you think. Marijuana can give short term
memory loss and loss of the ability to concentrate. Smoking
is the most common cause of lung cancer. I learned that more
second hand smokers die than the people smoking it. Smoking
and playing sports can make you suffer from shortness of
breath. I learned what DARE stands for: D stands for define,
describe the problem, challenge or opportunity. A stands for
assess, what are your choices? R is for respond make a
choice, use the facts and information you have gathered. E
stands for review your decision, did you make a good choice?
That is what DARE stands for.
DARE is good for kids who needs help saying no to drugs
and alcohol, and help kids from making bad decisions. That's
all the reasons I pledge to be drug free.

Steve
What I learned about tobacco, in D.A.R.E. is that more than
400,000 Americans die from tobacco related causes each year
and most of them began using tobacco before the age of 18.
It's important not to smoke tobacco, because you can
get black lungs, a hole in your throat, cancer, and you can
die from smoking tobacco.
Another thing I learned from D.A.R.E. is about alcohol,
it slows your brain and body down, it goes through your
blood stream and increases your risk of a variety of
diseases. Also, alcohol can damage every organ in your body
and if you are with others who are drinking, there is an
increased risk of injury, car accidents, and violence.
It's also important not to drink alcohol, because if
you drink too much and you get drunk, you might get in a
fight with others or you can get in a car accident. About 17
percent of eighth graders do drink and 83 percent of eighth
graders do not drink. Can you believe that!
The last and final thing I learned in D.A.R.E. is about
marijuana users have more cold and upper respiratory
problems and it affects your brain and body.
It's important to keep all three of these things I
talked about away from children, especially marijuana and
alcohol. If somebody pushes you around and try to make you
smoke marijuana or drink some alcohol. Just walk away, tell
somebody, or just say no to the person offering you the
stuff.
So stay in school, don't do drugs, and make right
choices.
I pledge not to smoke tobacco, marijuana, not to drink
alcohol, and never do drugs ever in my life.

Emily
What I learned is what alcohol does to you when you drink
it. The other thing I learned is what tobacco and marijuana
do to you.
What alcohol does to you is that it can damage every
organ in your body, loss of coordination, slowed reflexes,
loss of self control, poor judgment, memory lapses, slurred
speech, lead to coma and death, and alcohol goes directly
into your blood stream and can increase your risk for a
variety of diseases.
Tobacco can cause heart diseases, lung cancer,
breathing problems, and upper respiratory problems.
The health effect of marijuana can do is breathing
problems, short term memory loss which you can't remember
everything, loss of ability to concentrate, and marijuana
can be addictive.
I promise that I will stay away from drugs and never
ever drink alcohol nor do marijuana or tobacco. I will be
healthy and will not have diseases. I will be drug free
forever and ever.

Jonathan M.
I pledge... to never do drugs like tobacco, marijuana, and
alcohol. I will not drink beer or liquor. I do not want to
do any drugs. When someone ask me "do you want drugs", I'll
say no! If someone tried to make me do drugs I'll say no! I
don't like drugs. I don't want to have a bad life by doing
drugs. I want to have a good life and go to college. When I
grow up, I'll stay away from drugs. I don't want to smoke
when I grow up because if I smoke my lungs will turn black
and you could get lung cancer and get a hold in your throat.
When I grow up I would not do drugs like beer or even
liquor. Those things can get you drunk and you can get
crazy. Beer is super bad because you can get drunk and if
you drive on the highway you can die and get into a car
crash. I will never do drugs or cigarettes or liquor because
those things are very bad. Cigarettes are very bad they can
kill you and you can get lung cancer. The smoke from the
cigarettes can kill people because they can smell the smoke.
When you smoke people can smell the cigarettes in your
mouth.

Fredrico
I have learned many things from D.A.R.E. I have learned
about drugs and decision making. I'm sharing some of the
things I learned.
When you smoke you are causing your whole body to have
problems. Your lungs will turn black, you can lose
self-control and your brain will be damaged.
I have also learned about how people want to do drugs.
People get pressured or they wonder how it is to do drugs.
Some people get addicted. Advertisements try to make drugs
look cool.
Through all the lessons I have learned about drugs,
alcohol, and people have died from it. You must make
decisions and think about them too before thinking about
smoking or drinking.
I pledge that I'll be always drug free throughout my
life and to make good choices.

Brittany P.
This year I learned a bunch of things about drugs. I learned
to not take them. And also they aren't good for me and my
body. I also learned that tobacco has Rat poison and toilet
bowl cleaner in it.
All these things we learned was very important to me. I
hope and I know that I will never use drugs or any type of
drug that is not good for me. I also learned things I never
knew before I took the DARE class. Mrs. Lowery told us funny
but sad stories about people who took drugs. We also played
games with her. It was a awesome experience with her and the
class. I hope I learn not to use drugs and other harmful
things to me and my body.
I, Brittany, commitment from this day on to never use
any painkiller, drugs or other such things. Because I know
its bad for me and my body my community and humanity.

Sina T.
DARE is very important, it helps you learn. DARE stands for:
define-that means describe the problem, challenge or
opportunity. A stands for Assess-means what are your
choices. R stands for respond-meaning make a choice, and use
the facts and information you have gathered. Finally, E it
stands for evaluate-meaning review decision, and did you
make a good choice?
Officer Lowerie is a very good person, and she wants us
to be safe, and know the problems we are discussing in case
we might be in that kind of situation. I learned alot from
Officer Lowerie. One thing I knew that was really disgusting
is that in Tobacco theirs rat poison and toilet bowl cleaner
is in it.
I really believe that if we pay good attention we might
know that we shouldn't do drugs. I really knew alot of
things from DARE that I never knew before. It's important
for everyone. Also graduation means alot to me because
that's when you know that you did things you learned, and
that tells you how much you learned. I learned that smoking
causes breathing problems. Also, smokers have more colds and
upper respiratory problems, and causes heart disease. Also,
smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer, and also
tobacco affects your body's development.
I, Sina pledge to be drug free because I know drugs are
bad for me, my school, my country and to stay away from
alcohol, tobacco and other harmful drugs that are bad for
me. Amen

Shantell M.
Lately I have been thinking about all the bad drugs and
alcohol out in the world and about all the people who have
tried them. I personally think that I have learned alot
about alcohol and drugs such as you can get lung cancer or
die of to much alcohol and you can hurt your body. From
learning about drugs and alcohol I know not to try them.
Here are some drugs I have learned about, marijuana,
cocaine, crack, meth, inhalants, heroine and many others.
Most of these drugs can kill you right when you first
try it because you may get addicted. These drugs can give
you lung cancer, brain damage, and poisoning. I would
rather stay sober and un-high than get addicted to drugs or
alcohol because they can mess up your life.
From the things I have learned about alcohol and drugs,
I don't think I ever want to try them. I don't want to die
from cancer or too much alcohol. I feel bad for all the
people who have tried them and got addicted just because of
the type of people they hung around. I don't ever want to
get high or drunk because bad things may happen to me and I
could get a seizure or lose control of myself and I don't
want these things to happen so I am not gonna try drugs.
This is my decision and I hope that all my friends will
follow me to but for the ones who don't I won't give up my
good life just to help them even though it may be one of my
best friends because if they do drugs near me or if they
smoke I won't help them because they are going down the
wrong path. I hope I will never fall into the wrong hands of
friends because I don't my life to be messed up.
I Shantell promise to never smoke or drink. I have
learned that I may die from these thing and I want to be
drug free for the rest of my life so I promise that I will
choose better friends if they choose to smoke because they
will lead me the wrong way so I promise to always be drug
free and sober.

Nia W.
During the last two months I've learned to ask myself before
I make a bad decision. I've learned that there are 200 known
poisons in a cigarette. That made me never want to smoke. I
learned that alcohol can damage every organ in your body.
Which made me realize how dangerous alcohol is. I've heard
that marijuana is illegal. So I will never have anything to
do with it. It even has more tar than tobacco does and is
way more dangerous. In the two months I've learned how to
use the D.A.R.E. decision making model to help me in a hard
time so I will always make a good decision. So now I know
what to do and how to do it. I pledge to be drugs, tobacco
and alcohol free. Because I know it's bad for me.

Cadi W.
In
DARE, I learned a lot about making healthy choices. I
learned to read the labels on the medicine I take and to
never use a spoon from the kitchen to measure medicine. I
also learned about all the facts of tobacco, marijuana, and
alcohol. Now that I know the facts, I can make the right
decision.
In DARE, I learned about tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol. Smoking
tobacco can cause breathing problems and heart disease. It
also kills 400,000 people each year. That's more than 1,000
people each day! Marijuana is illegal in the U.S. and people
who use marijuana have an increased risk of cancer. Alcohol
causes loss of coordination and it slows down the brain and
body. It is important to know these facts because now you
probably won't smoke and if you remember these facts, then
you can tell others about drugs.
I learned how to say no. I learned that a true friend will
understand when you say no to them and I know how to say No
confidently. Another thing I learned was how to make my own
decisions. The DARE decision making model could help me make
decisions by giving me steps on how to make good decisions.
This is important because we need to make our own decisions
because if we don't, we're letting others make them
for us.
In DARE, I learned about inhalants. Inhalants are smells from
chemicals in things like Sharpies, gasoline, and air
fresheners. This is important because you could kill
yourself with inhalants if you're not careful.
I also learned about medicine in DARE. I learned that it can be
harmful when abused and shouldn't be measured with a spoon
from the kitchen. This is important because you may hurt
yourself if you misuse medicine.
DARE had an impact on me because I realized that I can say No. I
was afraid to say no because I was afraid my friends be
upset if I said No. Now I feel confident when saying no
because I know my friends will understand. I thank DARE for
all the facts on drug abuse and making good choices.
Basically, I learned about the affects of drug abuse. I learned how
to make wise decisions and how to say no. I also learned
about Inhalants and what they can do to you. Another thing I
learned about is that medicine can be dangerous if abused. I
learned all the facts about tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol.
I, Cadi W., will pledge to never abuse drugs. I will never smoke,
drink, or use marijuana. I will make my own decisions and
will say No whenever I want to.

Lindsay P.
I think
DARE is really neat. it taught me a lot about drugs,
alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and how to say NO! I also
learned the difference of over the counter drugs and
prescription drugs. These skills helped me make healthy
choices because we learned the facts and found out how bad
things can be when you abuse them. I like DARE because I
learned something while having fun.
Marijuana is illegal no matter how old you are and it's also really
bad for you. When people use marijuana they have an
increased risk of cancer. There is also more tar in
marijuana smoke than in tobacco. If you smoke marijuana it
will affect your brain and body. Marijuana can also cause
breathing problems so if you smoke marijuana you may DIE.
In other places you can't smoke or buy tobacco under the age of 18.
But in Cordova you have to be 19. Cigarettes contain a
powerful substance called, nicotine, that causes addiction.
In 1 year over 400,000 people die each year from tobacco
related causes! There are also over 200 known poisons in
tobacco. if you smoke you can get yellow teeth or smelly
breath.
Alcohol is dangerous because you never know how much is too much
because it's different for everybody. If you do take too
much you can go into coma. Alcohol is also dangerous because
it doesn't hurt just the person who had alcohol. If the
person who had too much alcohol is driving they may cause a
wreck and wound or kill someone. Alcohol can also slow down
the brain and central nervous system. Because alcohol
affects a teenage body more than an adult body anyone under
21 aren't allowed to have it.
I learned about many drugs and other things that can be dangerous
for me if I abuse them. I also learned I can say NO, even to
a friend, because if they're really my friend they would
understand. I also learned about the difference of over the
counter and prescription drugs. If you have a medicine with
alcohol it could cause the medicine to work wrong and poison
you. I also learned that one beer has as much alcohol as a
glass of wine.
I, Lindsay P. swear to NEVER to have marijuana, or tobacco,
and to NEVER abuse drugs in any way.

Jeremiah L.
The Drug Abuse Resistance & Education program (D.A.R.E.) has
taught me a lot about drugs. The program has taught me how
companies advertise drugs and how to deal with pressure to
use drugs. I have also learned about the three R's
(respectful, realistic, and responsible). This report
summarizes what I have learned about in D.A.R.E.
I have learned that there are different symptoms when
using each kind of drug. For example, drinking alcohol makes
your pulse slow and makes you have slurred speech,
staggering, slow reactions, and you have poor judgment. I
have also learned about the different parts in the brain. In
the brain, there is the pain center and the brain is a key
factor for coordination, balance, vision, movement, and for
thinking and feeling. Using drugs negatively influences all
parts of the brain. One thing that I learned and found
especially interesting is that drug companies use humor,
research, and having fun playing sports to advertise drugs.
It is clear to me that no matter what they say about the
drugs, they all affect your health. As a result, I have
learned possible refusal responses. If someone asks me to
smoke, I know what I will say to them. I will say, "No! You
can get lung cancer!" or "Don't you want to live a long
life?" I do realize that it is important to respect what
other people say and not to say anything rude about someone
behind their back.
D.A.R.E. has also taught me that if your are really mad
you should take a deep breath or talk to a friend about what
happened. This will help you calm yourself before you do
something really dumb. I also now know that if someone says
everyone is smoking that it isn't true, only they are. I
have learned that not that many kids use drugs. D.A.R.E. has
also taught me to use the decision making model before
making a decision. For example, if someone asks me to smoke
I know to use the decision making model to help me make a
decision. The decision model explains that first, you must
find your choice, second you have to find the choice that
follows the three R's, next you choose a decision and
finally you have to act out the situation.
Learning about D.A.R.E. has also helped me know what to
do in a tight situation with drugs. I must make a
responsible, respectful, and realistic choice. Like if, my
friend says, "lets have some beer", I will know the facts
about alcohol and will be able to have the courage to say no
using the key assertive behaviors, (eye contact, firm voice,
and an I message) thanks to the D.A.R.E. program. It has
especially helped me learn how to act out the scenarios. I
have learned how to act if someone asks me to steal, smoke,
or drink beer.
That's just some of the stuff I have learned in D.A.R.E.
Drugs are everywhere, in shops, on the streets, in parties,
in school, and many oth4er places. D.A.R.E. has taught me
how to avoid drugs and how to deal with situations where
people try to get me to use them. D.A.R.E. is an easy way to
get the facts straight about drugs and to learn what to do
if someone asks you if you want drugs.
I, Jeremiah L., pledge to make wise decisions about
drugs.

Tasha B.
In DARE, Officer Wendy taught me about different types of
drugs, such as marijuana, alcohol, cigarettes, inhalants,
and more. Now I know the consequences of choosing to use
drugs, and how to prevent from using them. Now, I know that
drugs affect everyone, and have learnt how to make good
choices, by staying away form them.
Alcohol, it's a fatal drug. Teens and adults drink this
awful substance. I would never drink it, because it
slows your body down, and it generates terrible odors. I
don't want to smell bad! If I were a drinker at let's
say...8th grade, I would be making an uncommon decision.
Only 16% of 8th graders DO drink alcohol. I would not win
any popularity contests if I was a drinker in 8th grade! It
actually affects teens more than adults, yet it's illegal
for anyone under the age of 21. Overdoses can cause serious
damage-like death, to teenagers and adults. It not only
affects you, but it can affect others, for example, a
drunken driving incident. The driver harms more than himself
in a crash. Alcohol can even promote cancer, which can be
insanely deadly.
Decisions are a huge part of our lifestyles. If you
were to make a bad decision, it could haunt you for the rest
of your life. If you were at a teen party, (for example) and
you choose to be cool and smoke cigarettes, that
might be the reason why you got addicted, and a few years
later developed cancer. You will never have the same lungs
again. That's why you make good decisions. People may use
peer pressure to make you do something you may or may not
want to do. It's your choice. There can be good peer
pressure, such as your study buddy telling you to fill out
your assignment sheet. There can be bad peer pressure, such
as someone getting you to try cigarettes, like one of the
previous scenarios. Now it's up to you to make a good
decision.
I always use the DARE decision making model before
making and important decision. First, I define the problem,
like figuring out whether it's a problem, a challenge, or an
opportunity. You also need to figure out what the real
situation is-not what you wish it could be. Second, I try to
generate alternatives that are responsible, respectful, and
realistic. I try to find choices that have the "three r's",
and if they don't, just set them aside. After that is
finished, you choose your best alternative. Which choice was
the best out of all of them? Whichever one that was, you
choose it. Lastly, you act out your decision. Hopefully, it
was the best one!
I have enjoyed the DARE program immensely. I now know
the harms of drugs, and how to keep a healthy body. I hope
that more people realize what harmful things drugs do to the
body. I dare you to be drug free, and I pledge to use my
knowledge from DARE in real situations.

Cara C.
In D.A.R.E. I have learned a lot but some things that will
stick with me through out my life are:
1. What to do to say NO!
2. What the 3 R's are
3. What the real percentages of the use of drugs,
alcohol and inhalants.
Saying NO! is hard especially to your friends. Some
things I learned in D.A.R.E. to do when saying NO is to make
eye contact with the person, use a clear voice, use an "I"
statement and use a good reason to refuse. For me it would
definitely be hard to say No to my friends because well I
don't want to lose them or hurt they're feelings. In D.A.R.E.
the class has practiced saying NO in role-playing. So in
real life when it happens you can know what to do. But even
in role playing it was hard so I can't imagine what will
happen when it happens to me. If it does all I have to do is
try to speak clearly, make eye contact, tell the person a
reason why not to do it and tell the person why I don't want
to.
The 3 R's represent Responsible, Respectful and
Realistic. It means when I have to make a decision it should
be what's best for me and the 3 R's. I want my decision to
be the 3 R's because then I know what is a good decision
with good consequences not bad. I want my decision to be
responsible so I know I'm not doing anything stupid and
something with bad consequences, respectful to others and me
around me. I also want my decision to be realistic so the
decision is not going to be fake or something.
Some people say that everyone is smoking it or drinking
it but the real truth is not everyone is. The real
percentage of 8th graders who do drugs or smoke cigarettes
or sniff inhalants is really amazingly low. When people
offer you those things they usually say something like
"everyone is doing them" or "You'll be cool and popular" but
that's not true. Really guess what the percentages are? For
cigarettes 93% of 8th graders DON'T smoke cigarettes
so only 7% smokes it. For 8th graders who DON'T drink
alcohol the percentage is 84% so only 16% does. For 8th
graders who DON'T sniff inhalants the percentage is
96% so 4% does. 94% of 8th graders DON'T do
marijuana and 6 % does. The numbers that don't do any of
those things really impressed me. I didn't realize how good
they were.
So in conclusion some of what I learned in D.A.R.E. is
what I would do to say NO and what I learned to say, the 3
R's for decision-making and the percentage of what people do
and don't do alcohol, inhalants, cigarettes and marijuana.
I promise to do what's best for my body and me. For
example not smoking cigarettes or doing drugs.

Alex C.
For the past months I've been doing dare. In dare I learned
tons of stuff about the brain and how smoking and drugs
affect it. I know that underage drinking makes your brain
bad and how people die from puking up alcohol and drowning
in it. All that info makes me realize the danger of using
those stuff. I will never use drugs.
Some stuff that I learned are that most 8th graders do
not use drugs and do not drink. When drinking, people lose
their balance function and the memory function in the brain.
I know the 3 Rs: respectful, responsible, and realistic.
Using those steps I can make sure that if a situation
occurred, I can be safe. I can also use an I statement.
The reason I think that the fact that most 8th graders
don't do drugs is important is because most people may think
that 8th graders do smoke and use drugs, but most of them do
not. An impact it had on me was the fact that it is not OK
to do drugs and that was an impact. The 3 Rs are important
because people need to know good stuff to do and bad stuff
to do in a bad situation. The I statements are important
because then people can know that you're serious in your
statement. Those are some of the details about what I have
learned.
The skills I have learned are the I statements, eye
contact strong voice and everything else that makes up an I
statement. I've learned the three Rs, which are respectful,
responsible, and realistic. I know the dangers about drugs
and alcohol and plan to use those skills to say no to them.
Those are just some of the many skills I have learned to say
NO!
I pledge to never use drugs or alcohol or cigarettes
and to always say no. I also pledge to use the 3 Rs and use
the I statements when saying no.

Katrina A.
On the S team, we did Dare. We learned what drugs can do to
your body. I think that Dare has probably change dmy life
somewhere down the line.
It taught to be strong and courageous to say no.
Even when I'm old enough to drink I am going to make myself
mentally ready. The life of me is in my hands and Dare has
made sure that it will be a safe one.
In Dare we got to meet a real live police officer
(Officer Wendy). She spent time with us and we got to do
skits and talk in our groups. I personally felt Officer
Wendy lived for us to learn all this stuff and not stop.
She taught us how to say no in a way thats not
mean. She also told us that parents will find out. I am glad
we have a scholastic officer that can teach us about this
stuff.
I know that I have always keep promises and will keep
my body safe. I thank dare in so many ways.
I pledge to never ever use drugs when they are not
given to me by a doctor or drink and drive.

Madison T.
Dare has been a learning experience for me. I learned so
much through out the last few months. Some of the several
things that I have learned is that saying no is really hard.
One other thing is that if someone says that everyone is
doing it (trying to convince you) it's not true. Then my
last fact is do not ever run from a police officer.
When dare started truthfully I was not really that
excited. It sounded like something that would be easy to
pass. But when we started to actually talk about drugs and
problems we will most likely encounter, I started to
understand that this was a serious class. As for instance I
never thought it would be really that hard to say no to
something. I noticed that when we started to haft to act out
situations. The reason why that is a skill you must learn is
that, that skill may end up saving your life someday. Just
that one word "no". What I also learned to follow up with
the skill saying no is that there are many respectful way's
to say no following that three R's (respectful, responsible,
and realistic) So not only do you need to say no to
something's, you need to know how to say no.
Not only did I learn how to say no in this class I
learned how people will try to convince you to do whatever
they are trying to make you do. Some people may try to tell
you that everyone is doing whatever it is, but truthfully
only 26.7 percent high schoolers smoke. Then only 23 percent
drink. So truthfully when someone says that it's not even
close to the truth. It's important to know this because it
will help you understand that if you do that one thing it
wont make you that much cooler. The only thing it will do is
make your life much tougher to get through.
The other last thing I would like to share is that if
you ever run into a situation were you are some where and
the cops come don't run. Not only will you get into bigger
trouble you may die. How is probley what you are wondering.
You see when you go to a party you are going to be tank tops
and shorts or something like that. So if you run and hide in
the woods you may freeze to death. Your best choice is just
to take some of the blame. Even though you may of had
nothing to do with it you never should argue with the
officer. This small fact you may think you know not to do
already, but in reality you may end up running away from a
officer.
All of the skills that I talked about are important to
know about. The one thing they all have in common is that
none of them are going to be easy to do if you run across
that one problem. The reason why I chose these three facts
or details to share with you is that I think that these are
some of the more important things to know.
I commit myself and my life to follow the three R's and
rules of DARE!

Jeremiah W.
Alcohol is one of the most common problems you will find
anywhere. It is also one of the deadliest things.
If you plan on drinking be prepared for disease, injury, and
a lot of regrets.
Alcohol creates problems such as slowed reflexes,
memory lapses, diseases, and a lot more. If most of
the people in charge took it head-on it might be illegal.
Some people I know have been affected sadly by it and now
lead hard lives.
If I can stay sober, drug free, and non-addictive I
will live a good life. Thanks to my teachers, local
police, and others I am drug free and proud to be!

Harmony L.
I have learned in D.A.R.E. that drugs
are very bad for our body. Like nicotine, we become
addicted to it. If you try nicotine (which is
contained in cigarettes) your body depends on it. It's
unhealthy drug. It slows you and your reflexes down,
and you may get mouth cancer. Also marijuana causes
breathing problems, more colds and upper respiratory
problems. Infections are also similar to cigarettes
but it's illegal in the U.S. and cigarettes are legal over
age 19.
We also learned in D.A.R.E. is that people can give in
to peer pressure by someone near your age. For
example, Jamie is 14 years old. His mom keeps showing
him what she wants him to do. But Jamie doesn't want
to because his mom is about 45 years old. He cusses in
a rude way and is always in a disrespectful way just like
his new friend Jack. He also cusses and becomes a
disrespectful person everyday. Before Jamie met Jack
he was a very gentle, forgiving, caring, and responsible
young man. Since then he became a very dreaded example
for any grade especially for the preschool-second grade.
It's extremely important to know all of this because
this will help you make great proactive choices. I say
this because when you get older and older you're going to
experience this strange thing called "peer pressure".
It's very simple for us to experience peer pressure.
Peer pressure is when someone in an age near your influences
your choices. Just like my little example in the above
paragraph. Some day you'll give into peer pressure and
you won't notice, but your family will. The impact on
yourself would be that if someone told you to either take a
cigarette or you'll never be cool and you would take one
because they're encouraging you to take one cigarette so
that you could be like them. Also if you did know this
information you would walk away and tell them NO.
I promise not to smoke, or chew tobacco and any kind of
drug that is illegal or legal.

Felila M.
I learned that if you smoke or even drink any kind of drugs
you will have bad breath, disgusting teeth, wrinkles, lung
cancer, and a chance of dying. DARE will help me make
my decision. I think this program should be re-taught
to all the people who have done drugs. Then they'll
think about what choices they have made and should have made
the right choices.
This is what we learned besides the things above.
We learned and talked about tobacco, alcohol, meth,
marijuana, friendship, inhalants, peer pressure,
advertising, positive and healthy choices, decision making
model, and cigarettes. Learning all these things is
important. It's important to learn these because it
will help you make your decision instead of not learning or
ignoring it.
Because of DARE I will stay drug free and violence
free. Being drug free and violence free is what I plan
to be and do. So all I got to say is thank you Officer
Lowery for having and teaching this program.
I pledge to be a positive, drug free role model to my
friends and family.

Cheyenne M.
While
in D.A.R.E. I learned that alcohol and drugs affects your
body and brain in many ways. Some of the affects of
drugs and alcohol are poor judgment, memory lapses, and loss
of self-control. Drugs and alcohol can also be
addictive, increase the risk of cancer and lots of other
diseases. Alcohol is also illegal for anyone under 21
years old.
Smoking cigarettes is also bad for your body.
Smoking causes breathing problems, lung cancer, and heart
disease. Second hand smoke causes 3,000 non-smokers to
die of lung cancer every year.
Advertisements try to get more people to smoke and
drink. They leave out the bad affects in their ads.
People who smoke, drink, and do drugs should stop
because people are dying and polluting the world. I
THINK THEY SHOULD STOP!
I pledge to not drink, smoke, or do drugs.

jOSHUA t.
I have learned about the dangers of
cigarettes, alcohol, inhalants and marijuana. We
learned about the tricks of advertisements. We learned
about making good choices and how to say "no!". Our
class did role playing to practice because it is pretty hard
to say no to friends.
I have learned that alcohol damages your brain.
Inhalants and marijuana hurt your brain too. I really
liked the video play where the kids were offered beer at a
party where they were making posters because it could really
happen. The police pulled up in the end and the kids
at the party would get arrested for underage drinking.
I liked the real stories Officer Wendi told us because she
was telling us the truth. It was cool, she brought
Darin along with her even though I didn't get to hold him.
I pledge I will never do any kind of drugs because I want to
be a paleontologist and I need a good brain to identify
which dinosaur is which. I promise not to be violent
and get help from a police officer, my parents, or my
teachers if I am having a hard time. I think other
kids should take this class because it is fun and teaches
you how to make good decisions.

Lindsey K.
This essay is all about the D.A.R.E.
program and what I have learned. I have learned a lot
of helpful skills about how to say no to drugs and violence.
I know these will help me in the future. Officer Wendy
has taught us how drugs harm and destroy your body and mind.
I know that "just because other people are doing it and you
should too" is so dumb! I mean why would that make you
do it too if you know it's bad? I know how to use lots
of refusal skills also.
I have learned refusal skills and how to say no to posers!
It has opened my eyes to how drugs affect your body and your
mind. I am thankful for this awesome opportunity!
One of my favorite refusal skills are the 3 R's because you
have to say no in a respectful, responsible, and realistic
way. This had a very positive and healthy
effect/impact on me. I feel like I can go into life
with knowledge and power against drugs and alcohol. If
I did drugs I would not be able to continue my love and
skill for dancing. I would someday like to become a
professional dancer, but if I did drugs, that could all fade
away.
I have learned many important details and skills. I've
learned how many teens are coaxed into drugs and alcohol.
I've also learned what kind of techniques companies use to
advertise their products. The techniques that are used
to get their target customers (teens) to buy their
disgusting products is also something I learned. There
are so many things that companies hide to get buyers.
It disgusts me. I know I will use these skills in the
future.
I Lindsey K., pledge that I will live a drug-free, alcohol
free, safe life. I pledge to use wise skills.
THANK YOU OFFICER WENDY!!!!

Trevor S.
The D.A.R.E. program has taught me the
dangers of drugs and violence. I've learned that the
choices you make can effect the future. I've even had
some of those experiences myself.
One of the things that is most helpful is what drugs do to
you. For example, nicotine is one of the most
addictive substances which is why people who use tobacco
have a very hard time quitting.
Because of the things I have learned in D.A.R.E., I will be
able to say "no" to drugs and violence. The
information about drugs and alcohol makes me not want to use
them.
I pledge that I will never use drugs, tobacco, or alcohol
ever in my life.

Sarissa L.
I think
D.A.R.E. was fun. I always looked forward to that
class in the morning. All of the skills that we
learned are very important. They are; how to get out
of tough situations, making good choices, and staying in
charge of your life.
We talked
about staying in charge of our life, how to answer people,
and not to take anger out on someone else. We did
little skits about how to answer some of the difficult
questions asked by students that want you to do things you
don't want to do. This skill is important for when you
are in those situations to answer respectfully, responsibly
and realistically.
The three R's
are respectful, responsible, and realistic. Some
people ask you to do things you don't want to do, you need
to give them your answer with the three "R's". For the
respectful part you need to make sure you don't insult them
by saying things like, they are stupid and other mean
things. Being responsible is when you do the things
that make the most sense to you.
The skills
that I spoke of in my paper can help me and other people to
make good choices and stay healthy.
The pledge I
make is to be careful about the choices I make and to not do
drugs and tobacco.

Robbie P.
In D.A.R.E. I
learned about the dangers of cigarettes, alcohol, inhalants
and marijuana. We learned about refusal responses and
making good choices. Our class did role play to
practice say "No!" I learned the most about inhalants,
it can make dizzy, it can kill you too. This class
impacted on me. I want to be a U.S. Marshall when I
grow up. I want to protect the world. I will
brake glass to get to a bad guy and I'm going to be a good
man, and I need a good brain and I learned to say "No, No,
No!" I pledge not to drink, drugs. I promise to
make good choices. I like doing the right thing.
I can talk to many adults around me if I need help or
advice.

Daniel M.
I have
learned that drugs are basically asking for death to come
early. I have learned many techniques to say no to
drugs & keep me from signing my own death contract. I
been taught many bad things that drugs can do. Like
the fact that smoking basically ages you quicker, and there
is actually tar in cigarettes. The tar actually gets
in your lungs and blocks the air coming in. Also,
drinking can turn your brains centers of feeling, thought,
seeing, & even pain. A drunk man is hard to subdue
because he doesn't feel much pain. As well as getting
drunk can knock you unconscious & then cause you to throw up
and if you are laying on your back, drown in your own vomit.
The thought of drowning has always been scary to me, but
drowning in your own vomit, terrible! To stop this, I
have learned to say no, use humor, be stern, make eye
contact, speak clearly, hang out with friends, use excuses,
give a reason involving parents, or say you will not &
convince the other person. I pledge to not use
alcohol, tobacco, crack, cocaine, heroin, snuff, liquor,
meth, or inhalants. I will instead try to resist drugs
& its effects to keep my body & self safe.

Wendal J.
Did you know
that there are many things you have to do in order to become
in charge? If not, come with me on this delightful
journey as I lead you to the steps on becoming in charge.
Being in
charge is very fun. In order to be in charge you have
to stand up for yourself, be proud of who you are, and help
others. If someone is trying to get you to do
something you don't want to do, stand up and tell them that
you don't want to do it. If you see someone that needs
help, help them. Avoid situations that you don't want
to get into, hang around people that don't drink or smoke,
and ignore people that try to get you to do bad things.
If I were you I would follow these steps and become a
leader.
Being in
charge can get you somewhere in life. I would never
ever do anything that would stop me from at least trying to
be in charge.
I Wendal J.
promise not to ever smoke or drink, but I will always stay
on task.

Jacob S.
Throughout
the D.A.R.E. program this year I have learned many things,
but for my D.A.R.E. report I only have one topic. This
one topic is tobacco. I have learned many things about
tobacco. I have learned to always say "No!" to
tobacco.
I have also
learned very important facts about tobacco like; it has over
200 known poisons, over 400,000 Americans die each year from
tobacco related causes, and it is the leading cause of lung,
mouth, throat, bladder, and kidney cancer. All of this
tells me that tobacco is not good, and it is important that
less people smoke or use tobacco.
So, I have
introduced you to my D.A.R.E. report and told you very
important facts about tobacco, but I have not told you this.
I can use these important facts to help me say "No!" to
tobacco. You can too!
I now say
that I am committed to never smoke a cigarette or chew
tobacco ever in my life. I hope everyone else is
committed too.

Brooke G.
My D.A.R.E.
topic is about alcohol and what it does to you.
Alcohol can
slow down the body and brain. Some examples of Alcohol
are: loss of self-control, poor judgment, slowed
reflexes, loss of coordination, memory lapses, and slurred
speech. Too much Alcohol can lead to coma and death.
Alcohol can also increase your risk for a variety of
diseases.
I learned
that if you do any drug (like tobacco, etc.), it can almost
kill you in any case.
I also pledge
that I will never smoke any drugs (or drink) because I have
seen some drugs on someone and it was terrible.

summer M.
In life there
are three different kinds of drugs that can do a lot of harm
to you. Those three drugs are Marijuana, Alcohol and
Tobacco. The first drug is Marijuana. Marijuana
is a very harmful drug. Marijuana smoke contains 50%
to 70% more of some cancer causing chemicals than Tobacco
smoke. Marijuana users have more colds and upper
respiratory problems than regular people. These are
the problems that Marijuana can do to your brain and body.
Short-term memory loss, lack of ability to concentrate,
slows down coordination and reflexes and affects your
ability to judge distance, speed and reaction time. Be
careful because marijuana is addictive and is illegal in the
United States.
The second
drug is Alcohol. alcohol is illegal for anyone under
21 and can damage every organ in your body. Too much
Alcohol can lead to coma or death. Alcohol goes
directly into your bloodstream and increases the risk of
diseases. Alcohol slows down the body and brain.
Examples of this are loss of coordination, slowed reflexes,
loss of self-control, poor judgment, memory lapses and
slurred speech. Drinking can also harm other people.
This can lead to car crashes and violence. If you are
under the age of 21 you should not drink Alcohol.
Young people like teens are still growing so Alcohol affects
them more than adults. Alcohol is a very harmful drug.
Finally my
last drug is Tobacco. Tobacco is the most common cause
of lung cancer. There are 200 known poisons in
Tobacco. Tobacco is very addictive. It contains
Nicotine, which is an addictive substance. Smoking is
the leading cause of death in the United States. More
than 400,000 Americans die from smoking-related causes each
year. Most of the Americans that died were under the
age of 18. The poisons in cigarettes can make your
skin dry out, cause wrinkles, yellow your teeth and give you
bad breath. Another terrible thing about smoking is
that smoking puts other people around you in danger.
About 3,000 people die every year from breathing in the
smoke from smokers. If I were you I would try to stay
away from these drugs as much as possible. I, Summer
M., promise to stay drug and alcohol free for life.

kevin T.
In my paper I will show
you what I learned in D.A.R.E. I learned about
tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and inhalants health effects.
I've learned about different kinds of peer pressure, alcohol
ads, the D.A.R.E. decision making model (positive choices),
and I learned about friendship.
In D.A.R.E. I
learned about tobacco health effects, here are a few of
them. There are 200 known poisons in cigarette smoke;
smoking causes heart diseases; smoking is also the most
common cause of lung cancer.
I also
learned about alcohol health effects too. Here are a
few of them. Alcohol slows down the brain and body;
too much alcohol leads to coma or death; and alcohol can
damage every organ in your body.
I also
learned about marijuana; here are some health effects about
it. Smoking marijuana gives you breathing problems;
marijuana is illegal in the United States; and marijuana
users have more upper respiratory problems.
I learned
that inhalants can kill you the very first time you use
them.
The different
kinds of peer pressure are positive, bullying, and bad peer
pressure. Peer pressure is when someone your age tries
to tell you to do something you do want to do, or something
you don't want to do depending on what kind of peer pressure
it is. Positive peer pressure is like: "Do you want to
come over to my house" says a friend. Bullying peer
pressure is like this: "Hey you, have one of these
cigarettes or else" says a bully. Bad peer pressure is
harmless but it could be something you don't want to do.
I also
learned about alcohol ads in commercials, stores,
restaurants, and magazines. Kids watch T.V. so they
see commercials. Kids go to restaurants and stores
they see those ads. Some kids look at magazines.
Kids see alcohol ads almost everywhere these kids go;
alcohol ads are everywhere.
I even
learned about the D.A.R.E. decision making model. D
stands for define, A stands for assess, R
stands for respond, E stands for evaluate.
I use the D.A.R.E. decision making model to make very
positive choices. The D.A.R.E. decision making model
can be helpful when you are in almost any situation.
Like if your friend wants you to come over to his house, but
your parents said that they don't want you to leave the
house, you could use the D.A.R.E. decision making model for
a decision like that. I even learned about friendship
and what a good friend is. A good friend to me is
someone that likes to be my friend for who I am and someone
who isn't always rude and mean.
I've had a
lot of fun in D.A.R.E. with Officer Files. I've had
fun learning about peer pressure, all the health facts about
alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, and inhalants, and learning
about how bad drugs are. From all the things I learned
about drugs from Officer Files I don't think I'll ever smoke
or do drugs.
I will use
the D.A.R.E. decision making model every time I'm in bad
peer pressure, and when I'm pressured to do drugs or smoke.
In D.A.R.E. the D stands for drugs, A stands for
abuse, R stands for resistance, and E stands for education.
This is how D.A.R.E. has taught me how to make wise and
healthy choices that can save my life. My pledge to
not do drugs is I, Kevin T., will stay drug-free and be
healthy.

AMANDA B.
Hi! My name
is Amanda B., I have learned a lot this past 9 lessons. I
have learned how to say no, I have learned what Tobacco,
Marijuana, Alcohol, and Inhalants can do to your body. I
have also learned what peer pressure is. I now know that if
your so called friends ask you to do something bad that they
are not really your fried.
There are so many bad things
that Alcohol, Marijuana, Tobacco, and Inhalants can do to
you and the people around you. Now, I am going to tell you
some of the bad things these four drugs can do to you.
Number 1. Alcohol slows down the brain and body, can give
you slurred speech, Alcohol goes directly in to your blood
stream and can increase your risk of a variety of diseases,
Alcohol can damage every organ in your body, and if you are
with someone who is drinking there is an increased risk of
injury, car crashes and violence. There is a fact about
Alcohol that a lot of people ignore, it is Alcohol is
illegal for anyone under 21.
Now I am going to tell you
about Marijuana. Marijuana has a lot of names I am only
going to tell you one, it is pot, it's the same thing as
Marijuana. If you smoke pot you are smoking Marijuana.
Marijuana does a lot of things to your body like it causes
breathing problems, it makes you have more colds and upper
respiratory problems. It affects your brain and body, some
examples are short-term memory loss, loss of ability to
concentrate, slows coordination and reflexes, and affects
your ability to judge distance, speed and reaction time.
Another one of the four is
Tobacco. Tobacco is like Marijuana you smoke both of these
drugs. But some Tobacco is a little different, you can chew
some types of tobacco. Chewing Tobacco can give you all
kinds of diseases like mouth disease and heart disease. The
smoking Tobacco can give you breathing problems, lung
cancer, and smokers have more colds and upper respiratory
problems.
Last but not least is
Inhalants. For you to use Inhalants you don't need to take
it secretly from someone. Like you have to do to get
Marijuana and other types of drugs. You just have to go to
the store and buy normal things like gas, paint, and house
cleaners. All these things are good and normal but if you
use them the wrong way they can be deadly. The fumes of the
gas or paint or what ever is in the room, go strait to your
brain. Bit by bit the poison destroys your brain until
finely you die. Not a nice way to die, huh?
I'm glad I learned all this
from Officer Charlie, now I know how to say no to all these
bad drugs and I know not to give in to peer pressure. The
number of skills I have learned are 2. How to say no and
how not to give in to peer pressure. My pledge is: I
Amanda B. pledge that I will say no to all bad drug offers.
That concludes my D.A.R.E. report.

Sara R.
Hello my
name is Sara R. I think D.A.R.E. is a great program.
I hope you 4th graders will enjoy D.A.R.E. as much as my
fellow classmates and I did. D.A.R.E. is not just a
way to get out of math, no, it's a special and very
important program that helps you make healthy decisions in
life, it also helps you make good decisions not just about
health. There are many things I learned in D.A.R.E.
One thing I learned about, is the D.A.R.E. decision making
model. The D.A.R.E decision making model is important
because it helps you make those decisions I was talking
about earlier. D.A.R.E. stands for; D-Define
<Describe the problem, challenge or opportunity.>
A-Assess <What are your choices?> R-Respond <Make
a choice. Use facts and information you have
gathered.> E-Evaluate <Review your decision.
Did you make a good choice?> (This is not a part of the
D.A.R.E. decision making model but I will always remember
it;) Will you be happy with this decision in the morning?
That's the method of D.A.R.E.
The next thing I learned
in D.A.R.E. is about tobacco. Tobacco affects your
brain, your mouth and throat, your lungs, and your heart and
liver. Tobacco is incredibly bad for you, for example:
smoking tobacco increases the chances of colds and upper
respiratory problems. Smoking tobacco is the #1
cause of long term cancer, tobacco has more than 200 of the
known poisons (including rat poisons), and there are many
more reasons why you should not smoke tobacco. Smoking
tobacco is very gross because it can cause your teeth to
turn yellow and you will have smelly breath. Smoking
tobacco is so dangerous that over 400,000 people have died
from tobacco related causes. Tobacco contains nicotine
which makes it addictive. It is illegal to sell
tobacco to anyone under the age of 19.
I learned that
marijuana also affects your whole body. Marijuana can
cause short-term memory loss and the inability to
concentrate. Smoking marijuana causes breathing
problems. It can increase your risk of cancer, because
marijuana smoke has more cancer causing chemicals than in
tobacco smoke. Smoking marijuana can cause breathing
problems. Marijuana is illegal in the United States.
Alcohol is in beer and wine. Alcohol also affects your
whole body and can damage every organ in your body.
Alcohol slows down your brain and body, for example; slowed
reflexes, loss of self-control, and poor judgment. If
you drink alcohol with your friends, you or your friends can
harm you or themselves. Drinking large amounts of
alcohol can lead to a coma or death. If someone mixes
alcohol and medicine it could lead to dangerous results.
Alcohol would affect your school performance. Adults
over the age of 21 are legally allowed to drink alcohol.
Teens are still growing, so alcohol is more damaging to us
than to adults. Luckily most teens don't drink
alcohol. There are advertisements for drugs and
alcohol everywhere, on T-shirts, in stores and even on toys.
The ads try to get you to buy their products and it's just
for money. They don't care about your health.
Peer pressure is when some people from a group want you to
do something you don't want to do and some other people from
the same group are either supporting you or just standing
by. It might be hard to say "yes" or "no", but you
should trust your instincts.
Personal pressure is when
you have a choice to make on your own. It's either a
good decision or a bad decision or somewhere in between.
Inhalants are very deadly because the first time you try it,
you could die. It affects your whole body, just like
alcohol, marijuana and tobacco. One of the last things
that I learned in D.A.R.E. is that there are good friends
and bad friends. A good friend is someone who is there
for you and on your side and doesn't force you to do
anything you don't want to do. And a good friend also
cares about your health, but most importantly you are able
to trust them. You can tell if someone is not your
friend because they might pick on you or they might force
you to do stuff you don't want to do. They don't care
about your health and mostly you don't trust them and they
don't trust you. I pledge to be drug free and not to
use tobacco, marijuana, alcohol or any other drugs. I
promise to try and make good decisions in my life. I
pledge to be in charge of me!

Luke D.
Hi, I am
Luke D., and I'm going to tell you all the awesome things I
learned in D.A.R.E. At first I thought it would be
just another assignment, but then I realized how important
it is and how much Officer Shackelford had to offer.
She taught us about the D.A.R.E. decision making model and
the toxins in a cigarette.
Also, she told us it wasn't
horrible to give someone the "cold shoulder". During
D.A.R.E. I learned so much, but I do not have the time to
share them all. Yet, here are some: one
cigarette takes seven minutes of your life and inhalants
could kill you the first time but it might not kill you the
seventieth time. Out of all of them, this is the one
that will stop me dead in my tracks for ever putting a
cigarette on these lips: there are over 250 poisons in
one cigarette!
The skills I've learned will help me
stay drug free! The cold shoulder technique is my
favorite. Also the power my peers and I have over each
other could probably fill three blimps. All these
reasons will help me stay drug free! I, Luke D., will
stay drug free for my whole life. Not just because it
will help me but because it might tear my life and family
apart. With drugs, going to Harvard, and becoming a
naturalist may never come true. So that is why I am
going to stay drug free. Are you?

Rachel H.
I have
learned a lot of things about drugs and alcohol in the
D.A.R.E. program, and most the things I have learned are
bad. In fact all the things I have learned about drugs
are bad! Because of this program, I feel more
confident to say "no" to drugs and "yes" to a good life.
Officer Wendi has taught all of us many ways to say no to
drugs if they are ever offered to us, such as: giving
the person the cold shoulder, ignoring them, just walking
away, stating facts about the drug, and encouraging the
person who is offering them to you not to do them.
Drugs can ruin your life and dreams. I have a dream to
become a W.N.B.A. basketball player and drugs would ruin
that dream. Marijuana smoke has 50% to 70% more
cancer-causing chemicals than tobacco smoke. If you
have to much alcohol you can drown in your own vomit...
gross but true! Cigarettes cause your lungs to turn
black with tar. All of these facts are extremely
disgusting, but they are all true. I really appreciate
what the D.A.R.E. program has done for me and my classmates.
It has helped me realize how much control we have over our
own health and our friends health. I will take
advantage of this and keep my friends and me healthy.
I would also like to thank Officer Wendi for using her time
to teach us about drugs and possibly saving many of our
futures. For all these reasons and more, I , Rachel
H., am proud, and always will be, to say that I'M drug free!
Are you?

Kendra R.
This year I have been
doing a wonderful program called DARE. DARE is nearly
done and in this report I will tell all the things I have
learned. In DARE I have learned how to say no.
When you say no to someone you should stand up straight,
look them in the eye and firmly say "NO, I don't want to
smoke." (or drink or be a bully) This will help me if
I need to think of a response to someone quickly. I
have also learned facts about smoking, inhalants, marijuana,
tobacco and alcohol. They facts will help me if I need
a fact to add to my response.
Another thing that will
help me is how to stop bullying and how to handle peer
pressure. One way to stop bullying is to take the
person who is being bullied away from the situation or tell
a teacher or trusted adult. A way to handle peer
pressure is to not listen to your peers if they are telling
you to do something you know is wrong. DARE has taught
me a lot. I have learned that if you are under the age
of 18 it is illegal to chew or smoke tobacco.
Alcohol
can affect your school performance. It is important to
know these facts when trying to teach people about drinking,
smoking, alcohol, inhalants and bullying. It is also
important to know these facts so I can make a strong case
when I have to say no to someone. Cyber bullying is
another way of being bullied. When someone bullies you
on the computer you can sign off or tell them to stop.
Another good thing would be to tell your parents. Its
important to know how to stop cyber bullying because it
happens a lot and it is not a good thing to have happen, or
to do. When you know how to stop it, then hopefully,
it won't happen as often. In DARE I have learned to
stop bullying, and cyber bullying; I have learned facts
about drugs, inhalants, tobacco, alcohol and marijuana.
I have seen which choices to choose and which are good
choices. DARE has helped me see what a good friend and
a good citizen is.
DARE has also helped to teach me
about peer pressure, warning labels, Commercial, medication,
decision making, and Daren. Learning all these things
in DARE has made my commitment to not smoke and drink even
stronger. I know all I have learned in DARE will help
me in the future. I think it is important to be drug
free because it makes your life better and healthier.
DARE is a wonderful program that I enjoyed a lot. I
would do the DARE program again, and after completing the
program: "I pledge to help the world make wise
decisions, and to try and stop the people from using
marijuana, tobacco, drinking alcohol and more. I also
pledge not to use drugs."

Mark B.
I am so glad that the Anchorage School
District gave us the opportunity to have D.A.R.E. in 5th
grade. I learned so many new things like not to smoke,
advertisements are not always good, and how to handle peer
pressure. All of those things I learned from my
Officer Rob. I couldn't have done it with out him.
Did you know these days smoking, drugs and other bad things
are being advertised on baby bibs, stuffed animals, kids
clothing and a ton more? People think they will be
more popular and cool if they wear things like that.
But eventually kids might find an adult that will buy the
actual product for them! That may be one of the ways
they get into drugs. Some ads glamorize alcohol and
cigarettes by using animals, pretty scenery, and fun
activities. The harmful effects are written on the
products, but the print is so small that someone may not
read it.
Officer Rob, has any student ever been
suspended form school for wearing an inappropriate t-shirt?
Why does that man have no jaw? Smoking will cause bad
things to happen to your body like your jaw bone
disintegrating, lungs becoming black, and dying.
People may think it is cool to smoke, but they are making
their bodies incapable of running and doing other out doors
activities. They might say they have asthma as an
excuse for not breathing correctly. The people know
that the cigarettes are doing this to them. They're so
addicted to the cigarettes that they have gotten to a point
where they crave it like pregnant woman with ice cream.
I'm so glad that many restaurants have banned smoking inside
so I can really enjoy the taste of my food.
Do you
know who your real friends are? Real friends wouldn't
say "Come on, you know you want a stick!" Real friends
would rather be playing soccer, capture the flag, or riding
bikes. I realize how important it is to have good
friends in my life. Even though I have not personally
experienced negative peer pressure, I now know ways to stay
out and get out of bad situations. D.A.R.E. was an
awesome experience. I had fun, but I also learned many
life-long lessons. I hope all students will have the
opportunity to be a part of this important program. My
Pledge Statement - I pledge to say "No" to drugs and
alcohol. I have learned how to stand up for myself.
I will stick to my decision to live a drug-free life.
I know who I am and I know that I want to stay healthy and
happy. I will ask for support from my family, friends,
teachers and even the police. I will help others say
"No" to drugs and alcohol.

Kelly B.
Officer Lund,
I wanted to let you know that the D.A.R.E. program works!
My son Nick and his friend David were out playing in David's
neighborhood when a 14 year old boy tried to show them his
pot. They got very uncomfortable and told the kid they
had to leave and ran home to David's home and told his
mother. My son insisted that she call me and tell me
what happened. On their way to football practice the
next night all they could talk about is how stupid this kid
was and all the nasty things that was going to happen to
him. I was so proud of both of them. This is a
good example of how well the D.A.R.E. program works.
They both were in Mrs. Christiansen's 5th grade class at
Chugiak Elementary last school year 2005-2006. I hear
that more 5th graders there will be able to participate in
the program for this year and here is proof that the more
these kids learn the better the choices they make.
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