Katjana Qi Gora, an 11-year-old Mystic Middle School 5th grader received First Place for her D.A.R.E. essay ‘Stay Smart: Don’t Start.’
The award was presented by the Stonington Police Department. Congratulations, Katjana!
Her award-winning essay:
Stay Smart and Don’t Start
Did you know that there are 75,000 alcohol related deaths each year? Did you also know there are more then 200 known harmful chemicals in cigarettes? All interesting and very important facts I learned from the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program.
I have learned so much this year in DARE! For example, I have learned several drug and alcohol resistance strategies. My top three are walking away, changing the subject, and just saying no and giving an excuse. For example, if some of my friends and I were at the park and they offered me some beer, I would first try to walk away and say, “My mom is expecting me home early today because I have a dentist’s appointment.” If that answer didn’t work, I would try changing the subject. I’d say, “Hey, did you hear about the new basketball court that’s planned for the park? Maybe we can play a game when it’s finished. But, I have to get home now. “ If my friends kept asking me to have a beer, I would just say, “No, thanks, I’ve got to run.”
Another important lesson was learning about the Decision Making Model. I learned about making good responsible choices. First I will describe the problem or challenge, secondly I will look at my choices in dealing with the situation, and then I will make a wise choice and finally reflect on my decision. For instance, if my friend was being bullied by a gang of girls, I could either tell a responsible adult or teacher about the situation or I could speak up for my friend and tell the bullies to leave her alone. I would definitely stand up for my friend and encourage her to ignore them and walk away. I would feel good about my choice because my friend would know that I care about her and would be willing to stand up for her. Maybe the bullies would ignore us and just walk away.
In the future, whenever I run into a difficult situation, I will use some of the techniques that I have studied in class. I think the best approach I will try is to communicate confidently. If some friends try to get me to do something dangerous, I would first make eye contact, stand straight and just tell them I’ve got better things to do with my life! I will try to convince them to walk away from the situation and if they don’t, I would just walk away myself.
The strategies and techniques I’ve learned in DARE will be very important in dealing with problems that I will face in the future. I have learned that the decisions I make will impact me, my friends, my family and my future. From what I have learned in DARE this year I think I will be better able to make responsible choices. So, when faced with drug or alcohol problems, it is important to stay smart and don’t start!
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