Students DARE to go the extra yard

By John Loesing Acorn Staff Writer

A group of Agoura High School students went back to middle school recently to help steer younger kids away from trouble.

The Agoura High students assisted in a program at Parkland Middle School in Woodland Hills called DARE-PLUS (Drug Abuse Resistance Education, Play and Learn Under Supervision).

Established in 1985, DARE-PLUS allows high school volunteers to mentor their younger friends in a variety of after school activities including sports, music and art.

About 450 Parkland students participated in the program, many of them said to be at-risk students. DARE-PLUS is an extension of DARE, a national program that teaches younger students about drug and alcohol abuse.

"By the time they get to middle school we’re not just telling them don’t do drugs, we’re giving them an alternative course and that alternative is to stay after school and get involved in something positive and instructional and educational," said Teresa Washington, DARE-PLUS director.

The program is run entirely by the high school students, volunteers from the community and teachers from Los Angeles Unified School District.

Corporate sponsors help pay the cost.

Instruction was offered in 50 classes last semester, including sessions taught by the AHS students.

Conducted each Wednesday afternoon, the classes included art and dance instruction, self-esteem motivation and even lessons Tai Chi, a form of exercising movements for relaxation and stress reduction.

At least one or two students from Agoura High helped teach every week. The students were members of the junior class only.

"It was really, really incredible to see the kids’ reaction," said Elizabeth Kofman, a 17-year-old at the high school.

"At first I thought that maybe they didn’t want to be there, but they looked up to these volunteers so much. They were a little hardened, but really opened up to these older kids a lot," Kofman said.

The classes ran for 10 weeks.

The program philosophy is simple, Kofman said. "If you can keep them at school for that much longer, they’re a little less likely to get into trouble."

Junior Jaclyn Allen taught a class in jazz dance and received recognition for her efforts by the Blackwell International Performing Arts Omni Award. The Blackwell group awarded Washington a humanitarian award for her efforts in directing DARE-PLUS.

So far, Parkland is the only school from the San Fernando Valley or Conejo Valley/Las Virgenes to take part in the program. DARE-PLUS began 18 years ago at a middle school in Marina Del Rey.

This spring, the Agoura instructors will be replaced by students from Granada Hills High School. Students from Taft High School have also participated.