Fifth grade students at Jury Elementary School in the Hazelwood School District welcomed a special guest at their D.A.R.E., Drug Abuse Resistance Education, graduation ceremony.
Anthony Slaughter, KSDK meteorologist and 2003 graduate of Hazelwood East High School, was the guest speaker, sharing his experiences as a student at both Jury and Townsend elementary schools, as well as encouraging students to “follow their dreams.”
D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles. The program “gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs and violence.”
At the ceremony, students and parents were welcomed by Mary Shaw, the school’s principal, as well as the D.A.R.E. instructor, Officer Darren Jeffery with St. Louis County Police Department.
During his remarks, Slaughter told students not to open their lives to drugs and that the “easiest thing to say is no.” He advised students to “treat people with respect” and reminded them that “teachers are here to help you.” He spoke about getting an education, being involved in sports and theater, going to college and how he became a meteorologist. To close, Slaughter said “a life without drugs is priceless."
The graduation ceremony continued with announcements of first, second and third place D.A.R.E. essay winners from each of the three fifth grade classes and closing remarks.
Davin Simmons, a student in Rosemarie Barron’s class, shared what he learned from the program.
“What I like about D.A.R.E. is it’s important to learn that drugs are bad for your health,” said Simmons. He said he feels great about graduating from the program and that “he’ll never do drugs.”
When asked what kind of advice he would give to his little brother about what he learned from D.A.R.E., he said “I would tell him to never do drugs ‘cause it could mess up your life.”
When he grows up, Simmons said he would like to be an engineer, and that science and math are his favorite subjects at school.
Following the ceremony in the gym, all of the students received certificates for completing the program from their teachers in their classrooms.