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Pupils
aim to avoid drugs, peer pressure
Asbury Park Press
- June 17, 2004
In a society where
substance abuse is prevalent, more than 200 Manalapan students pledged
to remain drug-free and steadfast in the eyes of peer pressure June
9.
The 225 sixth-grade students from Wemrock Elementary School, 118
Millhurst Road, graduated from the Drug Abuse Resistance Education
program in a ceremony filled with gift certificates, prizes and
two surprise visits from former New York Giant Keith Elias and a
life-size version of Daren, the DARE mascot.
Year-round DARE instructors and Manalapan police Officers Gerald
Bruno and Joe Felicia worked with the students for the past 12 weeks.
Bruno, who has worked with DARE for four years, and Felicia, who
has been on the DARE team for the past two years, followed a curriculum
that required students to have good attendance, complete a DARE
workbook, write an essay and draw a poster illustrating what they
learned during the program, which met once a week.
"I really enjoyed DARE," 12-year-old Romina Gadaleta said.
"They (officers Bruno and Felicia) really touched me. They
are great officers, and I had a great time with them."
Bruno and Felicia, who work with many children throughout the district
every year, said they aim not only to educate students about the
harmful aspects of addictive substances, but also to show them that
officers are people, too.
"They (students) recognize us and they see that there is a
personality behind the (police) uniform," Felicia said. "Students
look forward to us coming in. It's great ... that's the best reward
you can get.
"Children are honest, and when I hear a kid come in and say
this is a great thing, I feel good."
Romina, as well as many other students and staff members at the
school, also was inspired by the lecture given by Elias, a Princeton
University graduate.
The Lacey resident also works for a program called Heroes and Cool
Kids, which teaches high school athletes to be role models for schoolchildren
in their neighborhood.
During the talk, Elias spoke about his success and reluctance to
submit to peer pressure.
"Outside of these walls, there is a war going on," Elias
said. "There's a culture of death ... you have to be strong
enough to make the right choices. The one thing that helped me was
keeping off drugs and alcohol."
Many students are following Elias' footsteps in their goal to stay
away from addictive substances such as tobacco, alcohol and the
more socially acceptable, yet illegal drug, marijuana.
"I know how to defend myself against it (addictive and illegal
substances) by just saying no," 12-year-old Matthew Pfeffer
said. Matthew, a saxophone player in the school band, also said
he learned many things about peer pressure and he is ready to go
out into the world and keep his pledge.
Sixth-grade teacher Jeannette Ruggiana, who has worked in the school
district for six years, also enjoyed Elias' message.
"Every year, I see the impact that DARE makes on the kids,"
she said. "The speaker this year (Elias) is the best we've
had. He made a poignant message and I felt that they (the kids)
could relate to him."
According to www.dare.org <http://www.dare.org> - the official
DARE Web site - more than 75 percent of America's school districts
have adopted the program, with more than 36 million students graduating
from it.
But as Principal Jacqueline Martin said during the ceremony, "What
we learn and take a test on is one thing ... the real test is to
practice what you have learned. The more difficult choices are yet
to come."
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