A class of area students recently graduated, but these young people won’t be going on to college or careers just yet.

The purpose of their education was to keep them drug-free and healthy.

The Story County Sheriff’s Office graduated another class from its Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program last week. D.A.R.E. is designed to build students’ confidence, explain the effects of drugs and alcohol and teach them at a young age to make safe decisions.

The Story County Sheriff’s Office has implemented the D.A.R.E. program in most of its school districts for the past seven years.

“I think it’s good not only from the standpoint of teaching about drugs and alcohol, but making good decisions,” said John Sheahan, principal of Roland-Story Elementary School. “They [students] come away pretty fired up. We hope they continue making good decisions.”

Fifth-grade students at Roland-Story Elementary School graduated last week from the 17-week course, which included topics such as considering consequences, learning resistance techniques, building self-esteem, saying ‘yes’ to positive alternatives and presenting positive role models, said Deputy Craig McKinney, D.A.R.E. instructor for the Story County Sheriff’s Office.

“We try to reinforce those kids that come from good families and pick up those who don’t,” McKinney said.

The speaker at Roland-Story’s D.A.R.E. graduation ceremony was Randy Brown, ISU assistant men’s basketball coach.

In his speech, Brown related basketball to the D.A.R.E. program, and said the only difference between the two was the height of the participants.

“A lot of the things that are taught to these young people we teach to our players,” Brown said. “I think this [program] is the greatest thing that you young people can be doing.”

Having community leaders such as Brown speak isn’t the only way Iowa State shows supports for the D.A.R.E. program, McKinney said.

Each year, Iowa State gives participants in the program an opportunity to watch a Cyclone sporting event as an example of a positive alternative to doing drugs.

Teachers and parents have also shown their support for the program, Sheahan said.

“I think they’ve been impressed with it,” he said. “I’ve heard no negative remarks from our staff and parents.”

Brenda Erdman, mother of fifth-grade graduate Melanie Ellis, said three of her children have completed the program and she believes it is a positive influence.

“The kids are always telling me things they’ve learned,” Erdman said.

Rich Tribolet, father of fifth-grade D.A.R.E. graduate Tanner, said he wishes a similar program would have been available to children when he was growing up.

“It gives [students] a chance to talk about drugs,” Tribolet said.

Andrew Hoffman, graduate from Jeannine Jelsma’s fifth-grade class and winner of the program’s essay contest, read his work at the ceremony.

He said the most important piece of advice he learned from the program was the “right ways to say ‘no.'”

“Life is important, and you need to live it to the fullest and not waste it on drugs,” Hoffman said.