Willabees learn lessons, spread message, have fun Program reaches 400 students in boro elementary schools BY MARY ANNE ROSS Correspondent CHRIS KELLY staff Kayla Shopsis and Zana Abdelrahman, both 7, pick out stuffed animals to give to people close to themwho they hope will quit smoking. The students and about 80 otherWillabees fromvarious Sayreville schoolsmeet monthly, and each takes a pledge "to be the best I can be by not taking drugs or smoking or being violent." SAYREVILLE - Amid the season for hearts and flowers, elementary students have been giving a "gift of love" to the smokers in their lives. Members of the Willabees, a unique drug and alcohol education and prevention program, are each giving a bag filled with items designed to help someone they care about stop smoking. "Each bag contains lollipops and lifesavers, and information about Web sites they can go to about quitting smoking. There is even a little poodle with a heart for them to show that they are loved," said Paulette Hudock, director of the program and teacher of the school district's talented and gifted program. Hudock started the Willabees in 1999 at Wilson School. "The mascot for the Wilson school was a bee, and the principal had a contest to name the mascot, and 'Willabee' was chosen," she said. CHRIS KELLY staff Paulette Hudock, who started the Willabees in 1999 at Wilson School, speaks to firstthrough third-grade students at a recent meeting. Though the Willabees started at Wilson, the program has expanded to all the elementary schools in Sayreville, including the private Our Lady of Victories School, as well as the borough's Samsel Upper Elementary School, reaching about 400 students. Meetings are held once a month. Student participation is voluntary, but each Willabee takes a pledge that promises, among other things, "to be the best I can be by not taking drugs or smoking or being violent." "The Willabees is a really successful program," said Elyse Barone, coordinator of the Sayreville Alliance for Education (SAFE). Barone writes the grant that provides funding for the program. "Teaching drug and alcohol prevention is hard, but Paulette and the other teachers make it fun. I've stopped by the class, and the kids are so interested in what's going on you could have heard a pin drop," Barone said. Hudock said she likes to try different approaches to the program, and noted that the staff is very creative. "This month, the students all had to sign a heart, saying they would be drug free," she said. "I brought in a glass jar that had tar in it so they could see what accumulates in the lungs of smokers." The students also watched a video about "Mr. Nick Atine," whose character is a cigarette and who is put on trial. "Mr. Heart" and "Mr. Lungs" testified against him. "The kids loved it," Hudock said. The highlight of every Willabees meeting is the crowning of the club's king or queen for that month. "They get to wear a crown and are given the keys to the Willabees. They also hold onto a large stuffed animal named Cody, who looks like the town's drug-sniffing labrador retriever," she said. Each king or queen chooses members of their court and those selected also hold different stuffed animals through the meeting. Second-grader Gianna Sago enjoyed being the Willabee queen in November. "I got to bring home a crown, and all my friends were in my court," she said. Her mother Gina, who is a parent aide for the program, feels her daughter is getting the message about the importance of not smoking. "She's really looking forward to giving our neighbor the packet, and she always makes comments about how smoking or drugs are wrong," Gina said. Third-grader JonahAguilar has been a Willabee for three years. "I'm never going to smoke or do drugs," he said. One of his favorite things about being a Willabee is attending the summer camp program. The summer camp is held for three half-days in June at the Sayreville police headquarters. "Campers get a tour of the police station, court and jail. They meet the real Cody, and one of the officers teaches them about drugs. We do a lot of fun things," Hudock said. The staff feels strongly about the program and its success. "If we reach one child, if we prevent one life from being ruined by drugs and alcohol," Hudock said, "then we have done our job