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MONROE: Middle school students enjoy D.A.R.E. Field day

By Jenine Clancy, Special Writer
MONROE — The Middle School’s sixth grade class participated in the first annual D.A.R.E. field day, last month at the middle school.
A class of more than 500 students listened in and worked with law enforcement officers, firefighters and first aid squad members at eight stations, which included walking with beer goggles, observing a police guard dog, sitting in a police car and a fitness course.
Monroe Township Middle School Physical Education teacher Misty Corbisiero was manning the fitness station where students would run and grab a stuffed animal called a "baby" and run back, only to then do pushups and sit ups.
Ms. Corbisiero said this race was meant for students to think about what it means to save people.
"This day is a fun day to get students together, to let them know the police are there for you, the firefighters are here for you, the first aid is there for you," said Ms. Corbisiero.
Ms. Corbisiero, fellow Physical Education Teacher Michael Collins, Monroe Middle School Principal Chari Chanley, Vice Principal James Higgins, Vice Principal Scott Sidler and Monroe Police Sgt. Lisa Robinson ran the event.
"This day is to teach them an alternative way of positive lifestyle choices, to have fun, that you don’t need alcohol, you don’t need drugs or anything like that," said Sgt. Robinson.
Sgt. Robinson said that a D.A.R.E. picnic used to be held after the school year, but because of low participation they combined it with field day for the end of the school.
The D.A.R.E. program was launched in 1983 to give kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence, according to the organization’s website.
D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives, according to the website.
"This gives students a chance to work, up close and personal, with the people that they count on, to help them out in the time of need," said Sgt. Robinson. "We are not in town just to write speeding tickets and arrest bad guys, we are also here to do community service and help out the kids."
Students also got to observe Spotswood Police lift themselves up a police motorcycle. They also sat in on troopers from the New Jersey State Police give insight on their narcotics dogs, bringing in their own, alert and trained, 80-pound German Shepherd, who was on leash for the kids to see.
Of the many things learned, Trooper 1 Jay Botti of the New Jersey State Police and Trooper 1 Mike Leip told students it takes 12 weeks to train a narcotics dog for drugs and 14 weeks to train a dog to smell for explosives.
The activities ended with the New Jersey State Police Medivac Helicopter flying down into the baseball field behind the school. Lunch, ice pops and prizes were then awarded to the students.
Students like sixth grader Makenna Paglinone had a great time.
"It’s pretty awesome," she said. "You can get new information and what the police actually do in their daily lives and how it’s different from yours."
"I think it’s a great advantage for kids," said sixth grader Julia Heizer of the D.A.R.E. program. "It’s especially important in sixth grade so kids don’t do it in the years ahead and ruin their lives."