Whitfield DARE Essay Winners Honored By Kiwanis, Sheriff's Office

  • Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Edwin Hernandez has seen first-hand the dangers of alcohol.

The Eastside Elementary School fifth-grader  wrote about his Halloween night horror of seeing his uncle lying dead after a car crash, a broken bottle of beer in his hand.

“If only DARE existed back then,” Edwin lamented in his essay, judged best out of the hundreds written by roughly 1,000 Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) graduates in 13 Whitfield County elementary schools.

Hernandez and 12 other school-level winners were honored by the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office and the Kiwanis Club of Dalton during their 10th annual DARE recognition program May 11 at the Dalton Trade Center.

“To me the neatest thing about this program is that not only do these essays demonstrate that the children learned something from the DARE program and actually paid attention - actually got it, but it also shows they’ve developed in their first five years of education the ability to communicate that knowledge back,” said Kiwanian Bert Poston, district attorney and emcee of the DARE recognition program  for the past 10 years.

“That is so important. Every time I have a chance to talk to kids, I tell them how important it is not just to know the truth but to be able to communicate that truth to other people as you go forward. These kids have done a great job of that; all of these essays are absolutely fantastic.”

Hernandez received a wooden plaque and a $100 prize as first-place winner. Libby Bridenstine of Tunnel Hill Elementary earned second-place honors, receiving a plaque and $50, while Makiya Ammons of Pleasant Grove Elementary was third, taking home a plaque and $20.

Other school-level winners who were recognized during the program – with family and school officials looking on – included:

Kayla Hibbs, Westside

Avery Woodson, Dug Gap

Cameron Chandler, Dawnville

Arisabell Gasca, Antioch

Emma Reed, Beaverdale

Karla Hernandez, Valley Point

Elliot Green, Cohutta

Ana Silva, Varnell

Sara Burger, New Hope

Magali Salaices, Cedar Ridge.

Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood praised the county school system, including Superintendent Dr. Judy Gilreath, for allowing his officers to come into the schools and teach the DARE program.

“We feel very strongly that through the DARE education program,” Mr. Chitwood said, “if we can change one life, then it’s been a success. It does make a difference; we’re changing lives. Is it a hundred percent? We recognize  that during graduation, it’s not 100 percent; we’ve lost some sadly through the years. But generally speaking, if we save one life, it’s made a difference.”

On hand for the recognition program were DARE officials Lt. Wayne Mathis, Sgts. Tammy Silvers and Darlene Crider, and DARE administrative assistant Ambur Gibson, along with two newcomers, deputies Ron Kirby and Nathan Center who graduated from DARE instructor school last year and began teaching the program in January, Kirby at Valley Point and Center at Beaverdale.

Before recognizing her individual winners, Ms. Silvers praised the top essay writers, calling each of them “a leader for your school, for your family, for your friends.”

“You have made that promise to stay drug free and to make those good choices,” Ms. Silvers told the students. “And by doing that, you have to set the example for other people. When you are around something and you think, no, this is not right, then you have to be that person to influence others and help them to make that better choice because sometimes peer pressure can get to you but you’re the leaders here and  you’re the ones to help your  friends, your family, and other people to make those better choices.”

Ms. Crider said the lessons learned in the DARE program will be useful for a lifetime.

“The DARE program teaches techniques to make good decisions, not just in elementary school or middle school or high school or college – but from now on,” she said. “We use the DARE decision-making model every day, and you will always use it. So realize that, and hold on to that.”

She urged the students always to be leaders and always to stay free of drugs and violence.

“The first day of class I say it, the last day of class I say it, and at graduation I say it: If you remember one thing that I say this whole time together, be a good decision maker,” Ms. Crider said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Also on hand for the program was Capt. Richey Harrell of the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, who oversees the DARE program there and has  selected the DARE essay winners in Whitfield County for the past several years.

The students also heard comments from Fallon Watson, who wrote the winning essay in 2008 as a student  at Varnell Elementary School. She originally planned to make her comments in person but woke up ill the day of the program and had to have Silvers read them for her instead.

“Every time Officer Silvers came to my class, I got excited,” Ms. Watson wrote, with her comments aimed at this year’s essay winners. “I loved learning about how and why to say no to drugs and alcohol. As a fifth grader, the tools you’ve learned may not seem relevant or useful because you might not be around drugs and alcohol as much.

“But when people start to age and their curiosity grows, more and more substances will be present around  you,” Ms. Watson wrote, “whether it’s at parties, at concerts, or even at school. It’s good to know how and when to say no, starting at an early age so you can grow up healthy and happy without drugs being part of your life.

“When I’m out at concerts and I’m offered drugs or alcohol,” Ms. Watson continued, “I think back to the DARE program when I went through and made the pledge I took, and I simply said no. People will try to pressure you into things, that they will tell you it’s cool to do drugs.

“Don’t listen to them,” she wrote. “The coolest thing is be yourself and be drug free and healthy.”

Ms. Watson finished high school nine months early and is a student at Georgia Northwestern College, where she is working on an EMT degree and then plans to attend medical school in Augusta.

“Being drug free and healthy,” Ms. Watson wrote, “has really been a big part of participating in these jobs, and DARE has helped me accomplish that goal by  being a solid foundation on which I continue to build upon and will build upon for the rest of my life.”

This essay, which was judged best out of hundreds done by Whitfield County fifth graders who took part in the DARE program, was written by Edwin Hernandez of Eastside School.)


By EDWIN HERNANDEZ


On Halloween night, I heard sirens in the distance. I went to see what happened on this horrifying night. It turned out the sirens came from ambulances. I saw a dead body with a missing arm on the road, bleeding from his head, mouth, and chest. In the distance I saw a car crashed into a telephone pole. I overheard a paramedic describing the body as a zombie. I got closer to the body and it turned out to be my uncle, Adrian!  In his hand was a broken bottle of beer. If only DARE existed back then.

I have learned a lot in DARE. One subject I learned in DARE is alcohol. I found out alcohol causes 75,000 deaths each year. Tobacco was a big subject too. I learned that tobacco has more than 200 known harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke! I even learned how to make safe and responsible decisions. Additionally, I’ve learned ways to resist troublesome situations such as walk away, say no confidently and effectively, or change the subject. I know we all have stress in our lives, and we can take steps to reduce that stress. For instance, you can do something you enjoy to do to relieve that stress. I also found out how to report bullying using the 5Ws. Finally, I discovered who my help network people are to assist me.


I have used the DARE decision-making model. The DARE decision-making model is a four step process that will help you when you  have to make a decision and have two choices. One day, my soccer coach said my soccer game was going to be on Saturday, but that was the day I was going camping. I described the problem, thought what my choices were, I chose to go to the soccer game, and I thought I made the best choice.


I plan to use what I learned to make safe and responsible choices in the future. The day someone tries to offer me a beer when I’m in high school, I’ll know what to do.


Adrian did not live long enough to achieve his dream just because he did drugs. If people stop doing drugs, they could stop deaths like my uncle’s or worst. DARE can help civilians of all ages to make safe and responsible decisions. I, Edwin Hernandez, promise to never do drugs for as long as I live.

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