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By MAREESA NICOSIA
mnicosia@saratogian.com
Published:
Thursday, August 6, 2009
The Saratogian
L-R: Alexander
Steingraber and Shane Barringer, both 11, of
Saratoga Springs, practice on the African drums as
teacher Aston Ellis instructs at the D.A.R.E
All-Stars camp for students entering middle school.
(ERICA MILLER/The Saratogian)
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Launching rockets, playing
African bongos and climbing a rock wall aren’t your
typical summer camp activities, but at D.A.R.E.
All-Stars Camp this summer, they’re the norm.
In its eighth year, the low-cost camp will serve
nearly 200 students who are transitioning into Maple
Avenue Middle School this fall through a
collaboration between the Saratoga Partnership for
Prevention, the Prevention Council, the Saratoga
Springs Police Department and the Saratoga Springs
City School District.
The camp offers four one-week programs in July and
August to give soon-to-be-sixth-graders a sample
dose of what life in middle school will be like -
from navigating the hallways to coping with peer
pressure involving drugs, drinking and sexual
activity.
“We’re hoping they’re not facing these situations in
sixth grade, but we hope that we’ve given them the
skills to figure out what their best course of
action would be if they do,” said Becky Black, youth
development director for the Partnership for
Prevention.
Campers arrive at the Police Benevolent Association
on Weibel Avenue to enjoy sports, crafts and
cultural activities like hip hop dance or drumming,
but they’re also doing a lot of learning, Camp
Director Erin Lloyd said. For about two hours a day,
they break into groups with counselors for All-Stars
curriculum segments where they discuss social norms,
decision-making and how to stay drug and alcohol
free.
“We try to help them understand that not everybody’s
doing it,” Black said, emphasizing the
“student-centered” approach used that guides kids
rather than “preaching” to them.
“I’ve learned better how to say ‘no,’” said Meredith
Craig, who is transitioning to middle school from
Dorothy Nolan.
Seventh-grader Maria Zinter is a Dare Camp Helper
who attended the camp last year and came back in a
leadership role this summer.
“It feels good to help kids younger than you,”
Zinter said. “Last summer it was really fun and I
was looking forward to coming every day.”
In addition to community volunteers who help make
the program possible, D.A.R.E. officer Tony Straus
plays an important role as a mentor for the kids.
This week Straus taught segments on first aid and
rocket launching. For campers, he’s a familiar face
they recognize from their fifth-grade D.A.R.E.
programs.
The camp is open to students within the Saratoga
Springs City School District, and it fills up fast,
with room for only about one third of the 550
students entering the middle school each year. For
more information about D.A.R.E. All-Stars, call
Black at 581-1230 or go to
www.saratogapartnership.org.
The Saratoga Partnership for Prevention includes
youth, parents and individuals representing key
sectors and organizations concerned about youth
within the Saratoga Springs City School District.
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