The fifth grade students at He'eia Elementary School have been participating in the D.A.R.E. program, a nation-wide program developed by health education specialists. The 5th grade curriculum is delivered by Honolulu Police Dept. Officer Doane, 1 lesson per week for 17 weeks. In addition to the talks by Officer Doane, there are group discussions, role-playing, and workbook exercises. The program provides the students with the skills they will need to resist peer pressure to use drugs and join gangs in their adolescent years.

Here are some of the comments written by our students

The DARE program has provided me and many others this year with important lessons about life-- it's consequences and how to avoid them by making the right decisions.

In the beginning, we all learned about drugs and how to avoid them. In time, we started to learn more about life and some of the situations we may come across, as well as how to safely deal with them. I have heard about the horrible things that happen in this world and even seen some of them. I'm sure most of us try to stay away from most things that have to deal with drugs and violence, but the DARE program has taught us how easy it is to be misguided to do the wrong things. At first, I was sort of frightened when I heard about these things, but as we moved on to how to deal with stressors and those kinds of things, I became more confident.

Our DARE officer this year was Officer Doane who has a great way of teaching because he teaches us in a fun way about drugs. But even if he is funny, he also teaches us in such a way that we all take it seriously. He also gives us many fun and exciting activities that also teach us lessons. He also answers any questions we might have, and he teaches us some of the reasons why people use drugs so that we are aware, especially in difficult situations, that we should remember our DARE lessons.

I feel like the DARE program is a very supportive way to learn about drugs, violence and how to resist them. The DARE Program is not yet over, but already we have learned a lot such as making the right decisions in life, staying a confident person, and making decisions that we know are the right ones.

- Alorah

I think the DARE program is good because it can help people who are on drugs, are violent, stress and peer pressure, and people who are in gangs. If you are free of all of these things, then you are on the right track in life. If you aren't, the DARE program can help you with your problems. And after you graduate, you will know what to say when you get older and get into the problems that the DARE class had taught.

I learned that if you are asked to try drugs or join in violence you can give an excuse like saying, "I can't. I have a doctor's appointment." You can change the subject like saying, "Do you want to play a game?" instead. You can also keep on saying no and walk away from the situation. You can also do some of these things: ignoring the person, (cold shoulder) and hang around with people who don't use drugs. I also learned that you should always talk about your problems which I have not done in life a lot. When you are making a decision you have to think, what is the risk?, What are the possible choices? What are the consequences? Which choices may have better results?. Sometimes when you are in trouble, you just have to say what your rights are while still respecting theirs. Sometimes in a bad situation you have to determine which way should I say no. If you are involved in violence or drugs, you may not get to fulfill your dream.

I think it is important to stay drug free because you want to have a good life not a bad one. It is important to stay away from violence because in gangs and other fighting situation you may get hurt badly or get killed or end up in a lot of trouble with your parent and the police.

- Brandon

Hi, I am Tyler. I like the D.A.R.E program because kids like me and adults will learn that if you do drugs, you will not have a good life. The reason why is that drugs can make you have a short life, and you will never see your family ever again which is not very good. Therefore, drugs are bad. Don't ever take drugs, and if you do, please do what I would do and that is STOP!

What I learned in the D.A.R.E. program is what all of you people should learn, too. I learned different kinds of words that I never heard before, but some of them I did. I also learned the 8 ways to say no. I learned lots of reasons why I should not smoke or do any kinds of drugs. I learned what my rights are and facts about what drugs can do to you. Out of all of that, the most important thing I learned was to say NO!

It is important to be drug-free because you will live longer, see your family more than if you took drugs, and other kinds of stuff. It is also good to stay away from violence because you can be hurt free, you won't have to put it up with your parents, and you won't have to go to the hospital.

This will conclude my Dare Essay. I would like to give special thanks to my DARE officer and that is Officer Doane. He has been teaching us why we should stay away from drugs and violence. He has been doing us a lot of things that I never heard before and when he did tell us all of this information, I started to think and stayed away from drugs and violence. Thank you Officer Doane!

- Tyler

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