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Shootin’ the Breeze March 18, 2015
Distributed weekly to Pincher Creek, Crowsnest Pass and surrounding communities
Photos by Brad Quarin
Mitch Dorge, drummer for the Crash Test Dummies, brought a message to area students as part of the DARE program. During his visit to Matthew Halton High School in Pincher Creek, Mitch drew students in with his interactive presentation. Above, Beyonce Crowshoe and Madi Whitehead take a selfie with the musician. At right, Abi Cryderman and Mitch strike a ninja pose with a rubber chicken.
Students get involved in learning about choices By Brad Quarin A special guest stopped by the schools of Pincher Creek and Lundbreck this month. Those of us who remember the ’90s may recall the Canadian band Crash Test Dummies. Drummer Mitch Dorge got students of all ages involved in a presentation not only about the band, but also about the importance of understanding the consequences of drugs and alcohol. “Students are used to being talked to, or talked at, and very rarely are they talked with,” Mitch says. “So as soon as we get over that little hump, all of a sudden I’ve got all the best friends in the world.” Mitch’s presentation, “In Your Face and Interactive,” is one piece of the larger Drug Abuse Resistance Education picture. The DARE program is active in Crowsnest Pass, the Piikani Nation, Pincher Creek and Lundbreck, thanks to the schools and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The program is run in Isabelle Sellon School in Blairmore, Livingstone School in Lundbreck, Canyon School in Pincher Creek and Napi’s Playground Elementary School in Brocket. This was the first time in the Pincher Creek
area for Mitch, who is a spokesman for DARE. “It’s been awesome,” he said. “The audience has been great.” Mitch visited Matthew Halton High School and St. Michael’s School in addition to Canyon and Livingstone. He was brought in by Brenda Heisler, an insurance and financial advisor with the Co-operators. The company sponsors the presentation, and she took on the challenge of organizing and planning the visit. She says Mitch was enthusiastic about coming to the area. At MHHS, I saw the audience amused by Mitch’s stories, from experiences both in the band and in private life. His first point was that to get a positive response from people, you have to simply ask or push the right buttons. To demonstrate this, he rounded up some students and got them to do some goofy things, like striking a ninja pose and thrusting a rubber chicken. He then moved into his second point. Rather than telling students that drugs and alcohol are bad, he urged them to simply know what goes into a substance and what it does. The participating students then scrambled
to catch, juggle and pass on the props Mitch hurled at them, to simulate the brain processing chemicals. He also spoke of possible consequences of drinking and driving. The presentation was the same for all levels of students, Brenda says. “The younger ones and older ones have slightly different reactions, but it’s all been excellent.” Aside from goofing off with and learning from drummers, DARE more often involves visiting and talking with Mounties, who’ve been trained in the program. The officer who visits Napi’s Playground Elementary School is Const. Lawrence Jackson. DARE has been criticized as being more about indoctrination than education. Others think of DARE as only involving a police officer warning students about drug and alcohol abuse. However, Const. Jackson sees it as teaching life skills and sharing information, and says children learn to communicate and interact confidently with others. Tammy Giesbrecht, who teaches Grade 5 at Napi’s Playground Elementary School, agrees See DARE, continued on page 9