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Rosa L. Parks Elementary students attending a Friday morning assembly were asked a serious question from an unlikely source.

"If someone offers you drugs, are you strong enough to say no?" asked Sprockit, a talking robot.

During two assemblies at the Hyattsville school, all students who were asked answered with a resounding, "Yes," and the robot spent the morning singing, dancing and acting in scenarios meant to teach students about peer pressure, cheating and being kind to each other.

Kindergarten through sixth-graders listened to Sprockit also speak about pillars of character: being responsible, respectful, a good citizen, caring and trustworthy.

The robot belongs to Rockville-based entertainment company Washington Talent, Photo and Video. Jeff Rubin is the former owner of the agency but now takes Sprockit to events and performs alongside him. Sprockit was created for entertainment at corporate events, trade shows and parties.

But Rubin said his wife, Doreen Rubin, who was in charge of character education for Montgomery County's public school system at the time, developed a new program for Sprockit six years ago based upon character development and conflict resolution.

"She thought, ‘Wouldn't it be cool to use it in the schools for something educational?' " he said.

The robot is not controlled by Rubin and communicates independently using a process called Automotive Response Technology; when someone speaks to Sprockit, it searches its database, which has vast amounts of programmed information, for an appropriate response.

The two performances combined cost $600, paid for by Title I funding.

Rosa L. Parks Elementary's guidance counselor, Victor Butler, brought the robot last year to James H. Harrison Elementary School in Laurel when he was that school's guidance counselor.

Butler said the lessons about peer pressure and being respectful are more appealing to the students when coming from Sprockit than from teachers or parents.

"Coming from a robot, they tend to pay a little more attention to it," Butler said. "They're going to talk about this for forever and a day."

Butler said peer pressure to use drugs is not something the elementary students will likely have to face until they get to middle school, "but we're trying to curtail everything," he added.

During the scenarios, Rubin asked the students to pick on Sprockit, respond to Sprockit's desire to cheat on homework, or to try to get the robot to take drugs. Rubin then talked to students about how they should act in such situations.

Fourth-grade teacher Mary Stokes said teachers will likely discuss during meetings how to regularly reinforce the lessons imparted by Sprockit.

"It's an interesting way for the students to learn these important lessons about character," she said. "It's definitely keeping their attention."

Fourth-grade teacher Lorraine Foster said the presentation raised awareness about character virtues such as respect and trustworthiness.

"They don't always make the connection that being responsible when you're at home is you taking out the trash, but at school, being responsible is doing your homework," she said.

Fourth-grader Amaury Rivera, 9, of Hyattsville said his favorite part was when Sprockit repeatedly refused drugs by forcefully saying, "No, thank you."

Amaury's classmate, Kaylee Guadron, 9, of Hyattsville said she garnered a few lessons, as well.

"I learned about how you show respect, by being kind, don't say bad words," she said.

E-mail Elahe Izadi at eizadi@gazette.net.