The guidance provided to young people through the D.A.R.E. program will prove invaluable as they walk away towards high school and ever-increasing pressures.

Crowsnest Pass RCMP Constable Charlotte Rockwell, who has been teaching the program for several years, congratulated Grade 6 Isabelle Sellon School students on June 12 with a BBQ, certificates and prizes.

Crowsnest Pass RCMP Sergeant Keith Bott also congratulated the students on their graduation from the program and said they were part of an international program that they'd remember forever.

"Take what you've learned from this and carry it with you," said Sgt. Bott.

Although many people think D.A.R.E. is just about drugs and alcohol, more importantly, the program is also about making good choices. The program emphasizes that there are a lot of choices to be made throughout life and gives kids lessons on how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives.

D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a series of classroom lessons led by police that gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs and violence. It was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has proven so successful that it's now being implemented in more than 43 countries around the world.