ShawneeDispatch.com

A group of sixth-grade students at Bluejacket-Flint knows drugs are bad. The students also know the power of helping other people.

The “Too Good for Drugs” club meets after school to talk about issues relevant to their lives and future in middle school.

“We pretty much have meetings once a month and talk about drugs and how bad they are and how to prevent peer pressure,” said Breanna Crisp, group member.

Formerly known as “Just Say No,” the group changed its name this year, said Sara Valdez, a third-grade teacher and group sponsor.

Valdez co-sponsors the group with fourth-grade teacher Molly Martin.

Each month the sponsors lead the students in lessons about goal-setting, managing emotions, decision-making and how to deal with peer pressure.

Martin said one of the intentions of the group is for the sixth-graders to form relationships with each other so that they’re better equipped to deal with peer pressure as they move into middle school.

“Kids that might not have been spending time together are now spending time together,” Martin said. “They are opening their circle of friends, and middle school will be a better experience for them.”

Tyler Carr said he likes the group because he gets to hang out with friends after school.

“It also gets you to think about problems and how you can prevent them,” he said.

Valdez said many organizations send information and material that would normally be covered in D.A.R.E. —  the Drug Abuse Resistance Program, which the district put on hiatus last year.

“We get mail from programs that promote awareness and a drug-free lifestyle,” Valdez said. “It’s a great supplement. Other than the school curriculum, you don’t know where the students will learn some of these issues. If they are aware of things like peer pressure in sixth grade, they can learn to deal with it in later grades.”

Cynthia Botkin said she likes being a part of the group because students can express their feelings and meet more people.

“You learn a lot of ways to deal with anger and ways to help others,” she said. “I have more people to go to than I thought I did if I have a problem.”

Breanna said the group participates in a lot of activities, such as self-esteem surveys and diagrams of who to talk to when problems arise.

“We do a lot of fun things,” she said. “We made posters for Red Ribbon Week, and I like that we can deal with our frustration and anger and kind of relate with a lot of things.”

Valdez said the group serves other functions for students, too.

“It’s an outlet with teachers they don’t see everyday,” she said. “It’s an outlet to talk about serious issues at home and concerns they have for loved ones. They seem to love it. A lot of kids aren’t in sports or band so it’s something they can do after school.”

Another of the group’s top priorities is community service.

The students discussed cleaning the school property and helping the student council raise money for relief in Haiti. Tyler said the group has talked about other ways to fundraise and get other kids involved in the community.

“We want other kids to be involved in the community and for them to think it’s the right thing to do,” he said.

The group will continue to meet once a month for the remainder of the school year, touching on subjects like bonding, open communication and community involvement.

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