DARE not to do drugs

BY SARA KEDDY

Kings County Register

Madison Rafuse knows, if a friend makes a bad decision, not to follow in their footsteps. “It might lead to bad consequences,” she said.

Rafuse and fellow Grade 6 students at Cambridge school are the newest graduates from the RCMP Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program. Their advisor, Cst. Richard Langille, led a ceremony in front of parents and friends Dec. 5. “I’m a police officer, a dad, a pet owner, a neighbour, a Maple Leafs fan,” Langille said. “I start with Primary students and tell them I’m their friend, and now, in Grade 6, I can answer anything they want to know.”

Along with classes and discussions around the dangers of drug and alcohol use, peer pressure and making good choices, DARE is a chance for kids and police officers to get to know each other. “That relationship is just as important,” said principal Mike Ouellette. “Kids need good information for the things they’ll be dealing with in adolescence in the years ahead, but when I go down to the classroom on DARE days and see them working with Cst. Langille - it’s very special.”

Langille, who leads the program in a number of Kings schools and is a school liaison officer for Kings Detachment, said a DARE graduation is “always a proud moment.” He introduced Rafuse and several other students, asking them to read personal essays - including a pledge to be drug-free - to the audience. “I know not to do drugs, and I learned to say no to people who do it,” said Sarah Sinibaldi. “I promise not to take drugs.”

Devon Winchester said DARE was fun. “The skills I have learned are the consequences of taking drugs and smoking and how to choose a good friend.”