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Alton Strupp | The Republic DARE graduates erupt as "Retro Bill" takes to the stage Monday evening in the Columbus North High School auditorium.
Alton Strupp | The Republic "If a bully is picking on you this is what you do," "Retro Bill" Russ said during his D.A.R.E. stand up Monday night. "You just pull this rubber chicken out of your back pack and say I've seen Karate Kid." Hundreds of DARE graduates attended the event to hear the nationally recognized Retro Bill speak on staying away from drugs, dealing with bullies and keeping a positive attitude.
Nearly shaking with excitement, Fima Margovskiy could barely put into words how it felt to have arrived at the night of his DARE graduation Monday.
The Parkside Elementary sixth-grader said the program, which teaches students to make healthy decisions, “showed me a lot of amazing facts that you never would have dreamed.”
Add to the evening a children’s television star, awards and raffle drawings — and Fima may as well have been waking up on Christmas morning.
“Oh my gosh, OK, the class was just completely awesome, but now we get this reward that’s even more awesome,” he said, catching his breath.
“It shows us ways to get good information into our heads and still have fun.”
More than 1,000 Bartholomew county sixth-graders participated in Drug Abuse Resistance Education this school year thanks to two police officers and a whole lot of support from the community.
The nationwide course teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live pro-ductive drug and violence-free lives.
Monday’s graduation ceremony featured speaker “Retro Bill” Russ, one of the most sought-after children’s safety and self-esteem experts in the U.S. and Canada. Last year, Russ spoke to more than 1 million students and reached another 26 million worldwide with his television programs and videos.
Sporting Elvis-inspired hair and fashion with flames, Russ used everything from a wacky rubber chicken to an oversized remote control to teach youth about from bullying, Internet predators, self-esteem, making good decisions and more.
Students giggled and screamed as he used role plays while teaching positive ways to deflect negativity, name-calling and peer pressure.
Russ said he’s on the road about 300 days a year because the job is much more than a paycheck.
It’s personal.
Two pivotal moments inspired him to dedicate his life to making the world a more positive, safer place.
He said as a teen working to earn his Eagle Scout rank, he was nearly drowned by another Scout who threatened to kill Russ if he told anyone. As a high school senior, an impaired driver caused a car accident that took the lives of two of his friends.
“I use the big hair and props and humor to talk about very serious issues,” Russ said.
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