Profile – Hannah Reese

The culture of drugs and thugs has a new high-profile opponent in South Carolina in the form of North Augusta High School sophomore Hannah Reese.

The 15-year-old honor student has been chosen as South Carolina's new representative for DARE America's youth advisory board. She learned of the honor April 15, during North Augusta Elementary School's DARE graduation ceremony.

Tom Rogers, North Augusta Department of Public Safety's DARE officer, made the announcement to Reese's complete surprise. She was in the back of the assembly and made her way to the front, where she got the big news via Rogers' announcement.

"He started reading a letter, and ... I didn't know what was going on," she recalled. "That's when I found out."

With the conclusion of this academic year, Reese will succeed Maria Verdugo, a senior at Spring Valley High School in Columbia.

State-level DARE Coordinator Arlene Sharpe, a deputy with the Richland County Sheriff's Office, said a board nominee must be either a freshman or sophomore in high school, and be willing and available to serve for at least two years. He or she must also have a history of solid academic achievement and be comfortable in public speaking.

"She'll be asked to do presentations at DARE students' graduations as well as at officer graduations," Sharpe said. "She will be going to Quantico, Va., to represent South Carolina in the DARE America round table."

"This is an awesome opportunity," Sharpe said. "She will be eligible for a scholarship of $20,000. Each year, one of the seniors from the pool of advisers get an opportunity to have their name pulled."

Reese went through the DARE program in 2005, as a fifth-grader at Mossy Creek Elementary School. She has managed to steer entirely clear of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs, she confirmed.

Rogers, addressing Reese's fitness for the job, said, "I've watched Hannah for a number of years, and watched the way she carried herself and projected herself before others, and I always thought that she presented herself as a good role model and I thought that she'd make an excellent role model representing the DARE program and North Augusta and what the DARE program stands for."

Looking toward the next couple of years, Reese said she appreciates the chance to spread the message to help other kids make similar choices. One of the challenges in that process comes by way of the celebrity culture which tends to convey the idea that substance abuse is fashionable, she added.

Perks involved with the role are varied. The Quantico trip will include a visit at the training facilities for the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration some time in the next few months.

"I get to learn how to shoot a gun," Reese noted.

This year, a trip to Nashville, Tenn., is also planned for July 26-28, for the national DARE convention and a Grand Ole Opry trip as part of the package.

Reese's roles at the high school include membership in the band (playing clarinet), National Honor Society, National Senior Beta Club, Spanish Club, Future Business Leaders of America and Students Against Destructive Decisions, as well as the sophomore advisory board, which helps plan a variety of activities. Reese has been on the honor roll every nine weeks since first grade, and has bagged an assortment of pageant titles along the way. She is the current Miss South Carolina Junior Teen.

Aside from school, she takes part in co-ed soccer, and is currently a member of the Earthquakes, a recreation-league team. As a member of Midland Valley First Church of the Nazarene she volunteered with the congregation's PROMise ministries, which helped with the orchestration of a dress drive catering to girls at North Augusta and Midland Valley high schools. The drive brought in more than 100 dresses for girls who wanted to attend their prom but could not afford a new dress.