Pubdate: Fri, 27 Oct 2006
Source: Times, The  (Munster IN)
Copyright: 2006 The Munster Times
Contact:  http://www.nwitimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/832
Author: Jennifer Gray

HEBRON LAUNCHES DRUG EDUCATION PROGRAM

Last year, Hebron Police Chief Steven Sibbrell decided  that bringing 
the internationally renowned Drug Abuse  Resistance Education to the 
fifth-graders of his town  could only benefit the students.

"I noticed a drug problem in Hebron and the surrounding  area, and I 
wanted to get to the kids early and change  their minds," he said.

Founded in Los Angeles in 1983, DARE is a weekly course  that helps 
students recognize and resist adolescent  pressures that might tempt 
them to experiment with  drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Role-playing 
situations  provide an opportunity to practice decision-making.

Sibbrell was nominated to join the DARE program by,  among others, 
the Hebron school administration and the  Crown Point DARE program, 
which he avidly researched  during his information-gathering process. 
He then  attended a two-week training session to 
receive  certification and ran his inaugural session with the  Hebron 
Elementary School fifth-graders in January.

"DARE teaches kids to make healthy decisions,"  Sibbrell said, adding 
the program not only addresses  addictive substances, but shows 
students "how to build  friendship foundations and ways to be in 
charge of  themselves in pressure situations."

"The acronym DARE has another meaning," he said. "It  also stands for 
Define, Assess, Respond and Evaluate."

Sibbrell encourages students to describe a problem they  might be 
facing, consider their choices, make a  decision and examine the 
outcome to see if they made  the correct choice.

In 26 years, the program has steadily grown and adapted  to changing 
times, with it taking place in about 75  percent of U.S. school 
districts, annually reaching  about 26 million children here and an 
10 million  abroad.

Currently, Hebron is the only Porter County community  that has a DARE program.

School resource officers in other towns primarily  maintain a 
presence at the schools, helping out when  needed and making 
themselves available to students who  might want to talk or report a 
problem. They are not  there in a teaching capacity, which Sibbrell 
feels is unfortunate.

"I hope that other communities will become interested  once they see 
our program," he said, mentioning he was  impressed by the turnout he 
observed in Crown Point  when he was researching the DARE for Hebron.

With one full session under his belt, Sibbrell looks  forward to 
teaching DARE to a new group of  fifth-graders in January.

"We had a lot of fun, and we all learned a lot of  things," Sibbrell 
said of his first group of  graduates.

"I got a really positive response from the kids."

Hebron Elementary fifth-grade teacher Julie Stalbaum  noted an 
enthusiastic response in her students.

"They loved having the chief in the classroom and  looked forward to 
him coming every week," she said.  "He came in uniform and shared his 
stories and general  experiences -- having him in the classroom as a 
police  officer had a great effect on them."

Sibbrell awards prizes each day of class and during  each meeting, 
children take turns caring for Daren, the  DARE lion mascot. 
Additionally, every student completed  an essay about what each or 
she learned. Prizes for the  best compositions were awarded at a 
graduation  ceremony. As a surprise at the end of the last session, 
essay winners were invited to read their entries in  front of fellow 
graduates and parents.

In a related endeavor, Sibbrell rescued a wrecked car  that he 
restored and enhanced to become an official  Hebron DARE car. 
Complete with a snazzy paint job,  souped-up engine and MP3 and DVD 
players, Sibbrell  enters the auto in parades and car shows and lets 
the  local youngsters check it out regularly, while at the  same time 
encouraging their awareness of DARE.

"Kids come up to me all the time asking, 'Chief,  where's the DARE 
car? That car is so cool!"

Stalbaum agreed.

"The car seems to be a really good 'in' for the kids to  become 
interested in the program."

In addition to the 10-week fifth-grade curriculum,  Sibbrell hopes to 
eventually expand Hebron's program by  adding courses for 
kindergartners and eighth-graders.

ONLINE RESOURCES

Porter-Starke Services Inc.

http://www.porterstarke.org/

Parents: The Anti-Drug

http://www.theantidrug.com/

Kids Health

http://www.kidshealth.org/
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MAP posted-by: Elaine