(Ellsworth) Fifth graders at Ellsworth Elementary Middle School graduated from the D.A.R.E. Program on Wednesday morning. Officer Shawn Merchant has been guiding these 85 students for the past 10 weeks. Merchant tells Star 97-7 the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program teaches kids about real life scenarios they may face and how to stop and think before reacting to a situation involving drugs or alcohol.
Senator Brian Langley was the guest speaker at the D.A.R.E. graduation. Langley addressed the audience of students, faculty, and parents by sharing a heart breaking story from his past. Langley paused a few times to choke back the tears as he described his younger brother’s lengthy struggle with drugs and alcohol. His brother kept a journal during counseling for his addictions. Langley says it’s painful to read through them but he saw progress in the pages. Ultimately in 1989 his younger brother took his own life. But Langley chooses to share his story in hopes that it could save even one person’s life. You are not alone. You must tell someone you trust about what you’re going through. There is hope and you can get help.
This was only the second D.A.R.E. graduation at EEMS in quite some time. The program was not available at the school for a while due to lack of funding.
