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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
As an athlete, Connor Sanguez knows that it's important to look after his body.

Bryce Hardisty-Phillips, centre, receives a certificate from Sgt. Rob Gallant, left, and a T-shirt from Const. Trish Clough during the DARE graduation at Bompas Elementary School on March 6. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

After participating in the Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education program (DARE) Sanguez, 11, added drugs, alcohol and tobacco to the list of things he needs to avoid as an athlete. Smoking blackens your lungs and isn't good for an athlete and can also cause cancer, he said.

Walked away

Sanguez has friends who smoke. They asked him to try it, but he walked away.

Sanguez and 20 of his classmates graduated from DARE on March 6 during a ceremony at Bompas Elementary School in Fort Simpson. RCMP Const. Trish Clough led Class 6 through the nine lessons in the program.

"I think that it was very interesting," Sanguez said.

The bad effects that smoking, alcohol and various drugs have on the body were among the things that Sanguez said he learned.

Through the program, students learn how to respond to situations involving drugs and alcohol by using the DARE decision-making model. The word DARE is broken down to stand for: Define the problem, Assess the choices, Respond to the situation and finally Evaluate the choice.

If the choice is saying no, one way to do it is to repeat the word no like a skipping CD, said Ariah Thomas, 11. She also learned about what peer pressure is and how to be a good friend by not using it. DARE is a good program for students to take, she said.

"It helps kids learn not to abuse drugs, tobacco and alcohol," she said.

Thomas has a family member who is addicted to smoking. She said she's afraid for them because smoking can cause lung and throat cancer and heart disease.

The program reaches students at an important time, just before they go into junior high, said Clough. In high school, students are quickly exposed to more things and face a lot of peer pressure while trying to fit in.

"We give them the facts and the tools to make their own decisions," she said.

Without DARE, students may not have the facts to back up the decisions they are making, said Clough. The lesson about alcohol was one of the most popular with the class.

"I think that one hit home for a lot of them," she said.

The students could relate to that lesson because they have seen intoxicated people and are aware of the dangers like passing out outside in the cold, Clough said. The students also responded to the class that covered friendship foundations including what makes a good or bad friend and where you can find friends in their lives. They all had things to say about who good and bad friends are, she said.

Teagan Zoe-Hardisty, 11, is bit nervous about the peer pressure he will face in high school to drink or smoke.

"I really liked it because it gets you ready for high school," Zoe-Hardisty said about DARE.

The program gives you strategies for saying no, he said. If pressured to smoke, Zoe-Hardisty said he plans to say he doesn't want lung cancer or to have other things wrong with his body. If one of his friends starts smoking, Zoe-Hardisty said he would help them quit.

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