On January 25th, the 5th Grade class of 2004-05 completed their nine week D.A.R.E. Program. They concluded their studies with a final project and report. The report included each student's personal pledge to stay away from drugs and alcohol.
On Febuary 1st, each student participated in a D.A.R.E. graduation. They received a diploma and a gift bag from Deputy Haizel.
Four D.A.R.E. Pledges, selected by Deputy Haizel, were read at graduation.
This is how I will say no to drugs. I pledge to
D.A.R.E. not to drink until I am 21 years old. I want to grow up healthy.
Alcohol affects a kids’ growing body even more than an adult bodies in school
and sports. It can slow down my brain and central nervous system and damage
every organ in my body.
Even though you can legally smoke at 18, I pledge to never smoke or chew tobacco because tobacco can cause lung and mouth cancer. Plus who would want yellowed teeth and smelly breath? Also I want to play sports without running out of breath!
I definitely pledge to stay away from marijuana. Marijuana is illegal in the U.S.A. and you could go to jail you are caught using it. If that isn’t a good enough reason not to use it, than remember that it causes breathing and memory problems.
I don’t want it to slow me down in sports or at school. Also, marijuana has more cancer causing chemicals than tobacco.
I want to get the most out of my life by keeping myself healthy so I can do awesome in sports and, of course in school. So I pledge to say “NO” to drugs! That is how I am going to say no to anyone who asked me to do drugs and I will walk away if they keep asking me to do drugs.
D.A.R.E. has taught me a lot, including the truth behind drug ads, ways to say
no under peer pressure situations, and the harmful affects of drugs and alcohol.
I can’t thank Deputy Haizel enough, for spending his time to teach us.
My life and attitude is basically who I am. I now live a happy, drug-free life, and proud of it. I have so much to look forward to, including my basketball games, schoolwork, and my goals. If I just started using drugs, where in my life would I be? How could I just throw away my life, and still reach my highest potential? I have my whole future ahead of me, and I’m not going to mess it up.
I guarantee that at least once in your life, you will get pressured into doing drugs. Maybe be your friends, cousins, sisters, brothers, etc. But it doesn’t matter who influences you. What really matters is that you know how, and are comfortable with saying no. Just one bad choice and you could be scarred for life.
I pledge to stay happy and drug-free. I will stand up for what I know is right. I promise to be the person that I’m supposed to be.
In D.A.R.E, I learned what drugs, alcohol, and smoking can do to you. Also, I
learned how to say no. Some ways to say no are to avoid the situation, hang
around with nonusers, walk away, give them the cold shoulder, just say no, give
a reason or fact, change the subject, repeat your refusal, or you can use humor.
You would want to know this in case anyone ever asks you to take drugs, alcohol,
or cigarettes
Drugs, marijuana for example, can cause breathing problems, colds, and upper respiratory problems. You can tell if someone has been using marijuana because it smells sweet. It is also illegal for anyone in Wisconsin. Alcohol can slow down the brain and body, lead to comas, or lead to DEATH. Alcohol is illegal for anyone under the age of twenty-one. You can tell if someone has been using alcohol because you can smell it on his or her breath. Tobacco can cause breathing problems, heart disease, or death. It is illegal for anyone under eighteen. You can tell if someone has been smoking because you can smell it on his or her clothes. The impact D.A.R.E. had on me is that now I discovered what these things cause and why to say no because someone could say no to alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs and not know why they are saying no. Now, I know why I will say no.
Through all of this, the skills taught me right from wrong. Also, they showed why you should not smoke, drink, or take drugs.
To live a drug free life, I pledge, to stay drug free until I die. I will stay away from smoking, alcohol, and drugs so my life will be happier, and healthier. I will say no and mean it.
In DARE Class, Deputy Haizel has taught me a lot of different skills and
knowledge. I’ve learned other things like, tobacco has 200 known poisons in it,
or alcohol can damage every organ in the body.
I’ll never try these because they are very harmful to the body, especially me because I’m still growing. I’ve also learned skills to get my self out of peer pressure situations. We did role playing to try and learn these skills better. They are important if you were being talked into something you didn’t want to do.
One of the things I liked learning about was the skills on how to get out of peer pressure situations. It was fun doing all of the role playing. This had a big impact on me because now I know how to be safer. Some other things I’ve learned are that alcohol and tobacco are harmful in many ways. Alcohol slows down the brain and body. Some examples are: loss of self coordination, poor judgment, slurred reflexes, memory lapses, loss of self control, and slurred speech. Tobacco can change your appearance and is the leading cause of cancer. I’ve really learned many things from Deputy Haizel.
I will never drink alcohol or smoke tobacco because they are harmful. They can get me in very big trouble. I’LL NEVER DO DRUGS OR DRINK ALCOHOL! Thanks Deputy Haizel for teaching me all the important things I need to know!!!!!!!
We hope your child has enjoyed this valuable program and learned how to handle situations dealing with tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. We encourage parents to discuss the topics they have covered in this program. Look through their D.A.R.E. workbook for discussion ideas.
Thanks to Deputy Haizel for all his work and dedication to the D.A.R.E. program and Merton students!
