Zwolle holds D.A.R.E. Graduation

Zwolle fifth graders held their D.A.R.E. graduation program at Zwolle High School on Tuesday, May 4.

During class each week, students completed lessons in a workbook. An award is given to one graduate from each class for maintaining the neatest D.A.R.E. workbook. The winners were Madison Sepulvado, Jordan Crittenden and Lizzy Hunt.

This year the D.A.R.E. program added a “Spirit” Award to the program. This award goes to the student who is a role model to others, both in school as well as in the community. This years winner for Zwolle “Spirit” award was Konner Parrie.

The fifth grade D.A.R.E. students also competed in a “Color Daren” contest. The winners were Dekendria Thomas, Jacob Greer and Cymone Castillo.

The fifth grade D.A.R.E. students are required to write an essay prior to graduation, and are also pledging to make wise decisions regarding drugs and violence throughout life.

One exceptional report is chosen from each class to receive the “Best Essay” Award, and the winners were Elizabeth Gabino, Chyna Sepulvado and Rosa Sepulvado. Their essays follow:

D.A.R.E. Essay Winner
Elizabeth Gabino

Here is what I learned in D.A.R.E. First of all we talked about the D.A.R.E. Decision-Making Model. We also talked about tobacco, marijuana, alcohol, inhalants, and crystal meth. I am going to tell you all kinds of ways to say no to drugs. We also described friendship foundations, discussed peer pressure and personal pressure.

First of all tobacco can make you get lung cancer, yellow teeth, and bad breath. You can suffer from shortness of breath and get dizzy. Marijuana gives you cancer. Smokers have more colds and upper respiratory problems, and it affects your brain and body. Alcohol can slow down your brain and body, and cause slower reflexes.

The hardest peer pressure to resist is called heavy/bullying, and the only good one is positive. There is also friendly, tempting, and teasing peer pressure.

Since you heard about it you know the ways to say no to drugs. My teacher is Mrs. Melanie. She teaches you different ways to say no to drugs. I love D.A.R.E. because it helps me make good choices.

D.A.R.E. Essay Winner
Chyna Sepulvado

The D.A.R.E. Program has taught me ways to make the right decisions about drugs, alcohol and tobacco. These things have caused death and heartaches for a lot of good families. I have seen it first hand in my own family, and it is not very nice. It doesn’t matter if you have money or not. It affects the rich and poor. I learned I have a choice not to do these things, and I choose not to. I will remember the D.A.R.E. Decision-Making Model.

Alcohol, smoking and pills affect our bodies. They make you have rotten teeth, and damage a lot of organs in your body. My Momo died of lung cancer a few years ago from smoking. She smoked a lot. I wish someone would have taught her about D.A.R.E. when she was in school. I really miss her.

D.A.R.E. has given me a lot to think about as I become a teenager. I want me and my friends to stay drug-free and have long healthy lives and play softball. I will tell my little sister the bad effects these things have on us as we grow up. I hope everyone chooses not to do drugs, tobacco or alcohol.

D.A.R.E. Essay Winner
Rosa Sepulvado

I feel happy about the D.A.R.E. program because now that I am graduating I know what I can do when somebody wants me to smoke a cigarette. It will be the best day of my life.

The first thing I learned about in D.A.R.E. was tobacco. If you smoke tobacco it will give you lung cancer. It will make your skin dry and cause wrinkles. The second thing I learned about was marijuana. Marijuana affects your brain and body, causes short-term memory loss, and the inability to concentrate. Marijuana can be addictive. The third thing we learned is that alcohol can cause car crashes and violence. I will never drink in my life or smoke.

What I learned in D.A.R.E. is that if you do any drugs you made a bad choice. I will never do any drugs in my life because I know what it will do to me. It will take seven minutes away from your life, you can get cancer, and your brain cells can die. You should not bully anyone else because you will hurt their feelings, and it is not nice to bully people.

I also learned that drugs can and will kill you. Maybe not the drug itself, but because they slow your reaction time, it will make you move more slowly. I was impacted because my cousin, Phillip, used drugs and drank alcohol. When he was riding with his friend one night they got into a bad wreck because the friend was drunk. As a result, my cousin died. He was not drinking, but it didn’t matter because the other guy was. I will always miss him and will never forget him. Because this has happened to my family, and that I learned so much in D.A.R.E., I will never do drugs. I make my pledge to stay drug-free.