Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 25, 1994 TAG: 9404260019
SECTION: NEWSFUN PAGE: NF-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By NANCY GLEINER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, which sounds pretty complicated. All it really means is learning how to say "no." And it's not just learning to say "no" to drugs - it's learning how to resist pressure in lots of different settings.
Jim Stanley is a D.A.R.E. officer in the elementary schools in Roanoke County. He says the D.A.R.E. program teaches ``life skills'' which help deal with tough situations in and out of school. Some of these situations may not involve other kids, but parents or other adults who may try to pressure children into doing what the kids know is wrong.
``You can choose to be a thermostat or a thermometer,'' said Stanley. (A thermostat is a device that controls temperature.) ``A thermostat sets its own temperature; a thermometer controls you.''
If you're a confident, feel-good-about-yourself person, you'll set your own thermostat and not be controlled by others. But if you're an unsure, I'm-not-worth-very-much person, it's more likely you'll be a thermometer and let others control you and influence your decisions, he said.
``Sometimes when you're trying to make a decision, your friends lean on you and try to get you to say or do something that maybe you wouldn't have decided on,'' said Stephanie Sgroi, 12, a junior high student in Roanoke County.
``When you're in fifth grade and you're influenced by small things, when you get older you could be influenced about big things, like drugs,`` Sgroi said.
``Sometimes you act around other people the way you think they want you to,'' said Jenny Horner, 12, from Roanoke County. ``I learned from D.A.R.E. that I'm a different person and that it doesn't matter that I'm different.''
Starting in the early grades, D.A.R.E. helps kids develop a positive image about themselves, be self-assured and have a positive attitude in relationships with friends and family.
These are the skills that will help them in the upper grades, when ``peer pressure groups have more power over what they do,'' said Randy Rowland, a D.A.R.E. officer in Roanoke's middle schools.
``Older kids are more apt to be persuaded by peer pressure unless they have ways to say 'no','' he said.
Rowland, whose beat used to be the city streets, lets students know what drugs are ``out there'' and the consequences of using them. ``Kids have to accept responsibility for their actions,'' he said.
Both Rowland and Stanley try to develop good relationships with the pupils in their classes so the pupils will know they can trust them and come to them with their problems.
``A lot of kids want to see us, but don't want their friends to know,'' Rowland said. ``You know, it's not cool to be running with the police. But a lot of them respond to our suggestions.''
Every Roanoke middle school and high school has resource officers who work with students one-on-one or in groups to create good communication between students and school officials. The officers also work to change the image of police officers.
``Sometimes kids are more comfortable dealing with me than with parents or school officials,'' Stanley said, especially if their problems have to do with schoolwork or problems at home.
``I'm not your typical police officer,'' Stanley said. He takes every chance he can to talk with kids, often working as an off-duty policeman at ball games. ``It gives us a chance to talk in a relaxed way,`` he said.
Kids often ask Stanley if he ever took drugs. ``I was a weight lifter and taking drugs just didn't make sense to me,'' he said. He admits, though, that the pressure is greater on kids now than it was when he was growing up.
``That's why it's so important to have positive role models,'' he said. ``Kids need to know who they can look to for help.'' Other than parents, Stanley suggests teachers, coaches, leaders of clubs or church groups, and D.A.R.E. officers. He freely hands out his phone number and encourages students to call him at any time.
After the years of D.A.R.E. classes are over, students have D.A.R.E. graduation. But the ceremonies and awards may not be the real measure of what they've learned.
The real graduation is having a real-life situation and being able to say "no."
by CNB