Colter O.

D.A.R.E. REPORT

                          

Did you know that there are 75,000 alcohol related deaths each year in the U.S? I learned this cool fact from D.A.R.E. D.A.R.E was one of my favorite things in fifth grade, and it stands for define, assess, respond and evaluate. We learned how to resist drugs, violence, and smoking, for example. Officer Mark was a great, enthusiastic, and funny teacher. When I was stuck, he would help me understand the information and not just write it down for me. This is why I really like Officer Mark, because he is helpful. One of my favorite activities in D.A.R.E was D.A.R.E Baseball. My favorite part about D.A.R.E Baseball is the applauses. My personal favorite is the seal applause which sounds like, “ARK ARK ARK!!!”

One thing I have learned through D.A.R.E is that When I am older I will not smoke. This is because cigarettes have more than 200 known harmful chemicals in them, and they also cause bad breath, yellow teeth and can cause you to get sick more easily. I also learned some resistance strategies to help me avoid drinking, smoking and other dangerous behaviors. One of the ways is to avoid places where you know that people use drugs, another is to say no, or you could just walk away. You could also resist by saying no with a reason or excuse, and/or by changing the subject. I don’t want to smoke also because cigarettes contain nicotine, which is a powerful substance that causes addiction. Something that alcohol can do to your body is  make you not think about what your doing.This is why they say no drinking and driving, because you could lose control of the car and crash. The D.A.R.E decision making model stands for define, assess, respond and evaluate, and it helps students get out of a tricky situation.

I am going to use what I learned in D.A.R.E to help me make safe and responsible choices. For example, I would avoid a dangerous situation because it’s smart and because you never know what substances could be there. If someone offered me a cigarette I would change the subject to something they really like, so they would forget about it. If someone was getting bullied I would tell the nearest adult, or use the five W’s (who, what, when, where, why). If I was the kid getting bullied I would relax by taking deep breaths and by thinking positive thoughts. I am so thankful for Officer Mark and all of the important information that I learned this past year. D.A.R.E will now help me make better decisions with my everyday life.