I- EDUCATION

don't you

DARE

Southfield's elementary students
say no to drugs in the fifth grade.

Staff Writer

omeone from this class is
going to sing the national
anthem at the next D.A.R.E.
graduation, Officer Bryan
Jarrell tells Cheryl Blau's
fifth-grade class one Thurs-
day morning.
"And it's not going to be
any of the girls in this
room," the Southfield police
officer says, rocking back
and forth on the heels of his
shiny, black patent leather
shoes.
This pronouncement

S

Third in
an occasional series
on life in the fifth grade.

elicits indignant rounds of
"What do you mean?" and
"That's not fair," from the
females in the room.
Students in Miss Blau's
class at Leonhard Elemen-
tary School in Southfield
graduate in June from the
Drug Abuse Resistance Edu-
cation program. D.A.R.E. is
a 17-week course given to
fifth-graders at Leonhard by
Officer Jarrell, a member of
the Southfield Police
Department's D.A.R.E.
Unit. The class has five
weeks to go.
Officer Jarrell ends the
suspense.
"Miss Blau and I decided
that it's going to be .. .
Marlon," says Officer Jar-
rell, turning toward the
blond-haired baseball maven
in the back of the room.
Marlon Gisi, age 11, turns
a violent tomato red.

54

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 1992

"Sing?" he squeaks.
"Me?"
Twenty-five pairs of eyes
.turn to Marlon, who, rooted
in his chair, stares blankly
at his D:A.R.E. workbook.
Marlon looks as if he's just
walked his fourth straight
batter.
"Someone give me a
definition of stress," Officer
Jarrell says.
"How about waiting out-
side for the dentist and you
hear the sound of a loud drill
in the background," he sug-
gests. "Or how about just be-
ing picked to sing the na-
tional anthem alone, in front
of your entire class and
school?"
Officer Jarrell looks at
Marlon, whose face is begin-
ning to regain its natural
pallor.
"Stress is any strain,
pressure or excitement
brought about by a situation
or an event," Officer Jarrell
tells the class. "When
Marlon thought he had to
sing the anthem at gradua-
tion, he looked as if he was
about to fall out of his chair.
All he could think about was
singing in front of 300 peo-
ple."
"What else causes stress?"
Officer Jarrell asks.
"A hockey game," says
Jonelle Thomas.
"No, a wedding," says Tif-
fany Edwards.
"Getting adopted," says
Melissa Levi.
"How about being offered
drugs?" Officer Jarrell says.
"I want you to make a list of
the stressful situations that
happen to you during the
coming week."
The class begins writing.
On page 14 of the D.A.R.E.
workbook, there's a picture
of a stress level test.
Students are asked to place a
check beside the column if
they have taken a test; had

Officer Bryan
Jarrell spends 17
weeks teaching
D.A.R.E. to Miss
Blau's fifth-grade
class.

Photos by G lenn Triest

AMY J. MEHLER

an argument or been in a
fight; been late for some-
thing; had something ex-
citing happen; felt lonely or
depressed. Number 15 asks
if you've been embarrassed.
"Add the number of checks
in the yes column and com-
pare your score with the
scale," Officer Jarrell says.
This is week eight of
D.A.R.E., and by now, all
Officer Jarrell's students
know how to say no to

drugs.
Every D.A.R.E. officer
teaches eight methods of
saying no: Saying no thanks;
giving reasons or excuses;
saying no as many times as
necessary; walking away;
changing the subject;
avoiding the situation; cold
shoulder treatment;
strength in numbers.
"We teach kids self-esteem
and explain the kinds of
pressures they will face and

how to best resist them,"
says Officer Jarrell, who
along with Officer Bob
Pollack, teaches in
Southfield's 10 elementary
schools. D.A.R.E. was
originated in Los Angeles in
1983 by L.A. Police Chief
Daryl Gates. It's been
adopted in all 50 states and
in several foreign countries.
Southfield adopted the
D.A.R.E. program in 1989.
Officers Jarrell and Pollack

