On Wednesday, October 18th, we had the opportunity as a class to participate in Racing against Drugs, a program put on by Kingston: Partners for a Safe Community. It was an action packed afternoon filled with fun games, and excellent speakers. Initially, when Ms. Van De Ven told us we would be participating in Racing against Drugs, we asked how long we had to run for, and who we were racing against. It must have taken Ms. V  by surprise, because she literally giggled out loud and explained that it was more of an informative workshop to learn about the harmful effects that drugs and alcohol can have on people.

We arrived at the Thompson Drill Hall to find a huge race track with electronic racing cars on it. Right away, along with 7 other grade 5/6 classes in the city, we listened to a presentation on a police dog, and we watched him search for banned substances in different backpacks. What a great experience to see!

We broke off into 10 different groups and started a circuit of different activities from different presenters. These included members of the OPP, Kingston Police, CN Police, Military Police, The Health Unit, The YMCA, and Kingston Fire and Rescue. We heard presenters talk about various addictive substances and ways to say no, engaged in a lot of different trivia games and activities, and even got locked in a jail cell and arrested.

Half way through the sessions, there was a brain break and huge dance party. Some of us had a lot of fun dancing and laughing along! We even received an apple as a snack. Freshly picked, it was delicious!

At the very end of the day, we raced the other schools on the huge race track. We ended up in 3rd place overall!! The day was engaging, fun, and we learned a lot about the serious effects drugs and alcohol can have on yourself and your family and friends.