Three Grade 5 classes from Westmount School received their diplomas Monday Jan 18, but they'll still be back in class Tuesday morning.

The classes officially graduated from the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) program where they received a medallion and congratulatory handshakes from many dignitaries in the community.

The program educates students on the risks of alcohol and drugs in youth.

Program Coordinator and Instructor Melanie Glanville says teaching hundreds of kids at numerous schools in the community is a really rewarding accomplishment.

"I have been teaching the D.A.R.E programs for eight years in Foothills School Division which has been wonderful," she says. "The graduation is obviously the fun part of our program, they get and cake but they need to do a project to graduate so they need to explain what they've learned," she says.

With smoking, drugs and alcohol being a larger risk in youth than ever before, Glanville says it's important that they have the knowledge to make better choices going through higher levels of education.

"Our students, our community and everywhere I guess, they're starting to learn about these things as it's getting younger and younger where they're learning about those bad drugs out there and even those good drugs that they are abusing."

Okotoks Mayor Bill Robertson was on hand to say a few words of encouragement for the students to keep up with the education they've learned from Glanville and the program.  Members of the Okotoks Oilers were also out to hand out autographs and give their advice to students.

Glanville says more voices go a long way in making the D.A.R.E program a success.

"It really takes the community to raise a child and I firmly believe that the more positive feedback that the kids get back from the different adults in our community is huge."

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