MEXICO – Lunchtime Tuesday for 33 fifth-graders at SAD 43’s Meroby Elementary School was more exciting than usual.

But it wasn’t the food that kindled the youths exuberance.

Instead, nine Mountain Valley High School students – Mariah Cormier, Chelsea Patterson, Jen Kellogg, Kristen Arsenault, Eddie Booker, Jen Arsenault, Jarod Oldham, Chad Casey and Tanya Nicols – joining them for lunch, took center stage.

The younger children – all Drug Abuse Resistance Education class members – cajoled the high school panel of peer mentors into sitting with them at various tables in the cafeteria.

“It’s awesome!” said DARE educator Tracy Higley of the frenzied actions of fifth-graders competing to induce the older students to sit, talk and listen to them.

“It’s a great interaction between the older kids – some of the best of the best Mountain Valley kids – and the DARE kids. It’s just fantastic!” he added.

About 60 minutes earlier, the secondary school students had sat facing the younger pupils while being peppered with questions about life and school from a teen-aged perspective.

The middle school youngsters sought answers about drugs, peer pressure, bullies, the importance of after-school activities and what they could expect in high school.

Fifteen-year-old Kristen Arsenault and Eddie Booker, 16, said they enjoyed teaching the younger students about life, choices and expectations.

“I enjoyed coming in to help the kids, and knowing that I was trying to set good examples for them, and trying to make good comments,” Arsenault said.

For Booker, the upside of Tuesday’s session was “knowing that what I had to say would have a big impact for them, and hopefully, what I said, they’ll remember it.”

Eleven-year-old Ryan Glover of Mexico thought the session was very interesting.

“They described a lot of details and showed us what to do and, about like not doing drugs, and to stay healthy and keep our grades up,” Glover said.

Higley said the idea behind bringing a panel of high school students in to talk with fifth-grade DARE classes at SAD 43 schools, was to provide insight about life experiences and looking at things from different points of view.

As parting words of advice, Patterson told the youths to “make your own decisions and not be so judgmental of others.”

Kellogg said to “stay true to yourself and your values, and don’t let other people change you.”

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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