Four Springhill Hill Lake Elementary School 5th graders received books, including some autographed by the author, during the 2017 DARE culmination assembly that took place March 9 in the school’s auditorium. The culmination marks the end of the students’ 10-lesson DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) instruction. The assembly began with a music video showing the students as they took part in the program. Then all of the students were recognized for successfully completing the program, receiving a Certificate of Completion and a DARE T-shirt. In attendance to support the students was Chief Thomas Kemp of the Greenbelt Police Department. Then the four finalists for the essay contest were announced. The finalists were Dana Mazariegos, Amari Hargrove, Braylon Martin and Jonathan Abarca. Grand Prize winner Braylon Martin
also received a Kindle Fire tablet computer. The signed books included works by RL Stine (Goosebumps), Brandon Mull and Lemony Snickets. Braylon’s essay focused on how DARE can help a person make healthy choices in life and the importance of resisting negative peer pressure. Kemp offered his congratulations to not only the essay winners but to all of the fifth graders who took part.