More than 100,000 schools and organizations across the country celebrate Red Ribbon Week each October. Together, millions of children are being reached with the vital message that drugs are destructive.
This year marks the 15th annual celebration of National Red Ribbon Week. In 1985, Drug Enforcement Administration undercover agent Enrique ‘Kiki’ Camarena was killed by drug traffickers in Mexico. Angered by his death and the damaging effects of drugs on our culture, people of Camarena’s hometown of Calexico, California, began wearing red ribbons in his honor.
The trend spread across the country, and in 1988 Congress proclaimed the last full week in October as National Red Ribbon Week. The event continues to grow as more and more schools show their support for a drug-free America.
Many schools, like Tyrone and Bellwood-Antis, are supporting the anti-drug stance by getting their teachers, staff, students and community involved with Red Ribbon Week in creative and exciting ways.
Red Ribbon Week is October 20-27. The theme for Blair County is ‘Freedom From Drugs,’ by which Tyrone and B-A are strongly encouraging throughout the week.
At Tyrone, the elementary school and middle/high school are preparing for an interesting week of activities and teaching lessons to promote the anti-drug campaign, with our small community continuing that same fight everyday.
The elementary school children at Tyrone will be handed out red ribbons on Monday, October 21, with the help of the Golden Eagle mascot, the SADD Club advisors and some cheerleaders. SADD Club students will deliver the ribbons to the classrooms and give a brief explanation of the meaning and importance of wearing the ribbon.
There will be a daily theme for each day of the week for the elementary kids to participate in. Monday is designated as ‘Living Drug-Free Is No Sweat,’ and students are allowed to wear sweat shirts and pants. Tuesday’s theme is ‘Shade Out Drugs Day,’ where all students can wear sun glasses in school. On Wednesday, the theme is “Don’t Let Drugs Turn You,’ which all students have the option to wear his or her clothing inside out.
The kids will also have the opportunity to participate in a poster contest with the theme of being drug-free in Mrs. Yaniello’s art classes.
The elementary kids at Tyrone will also receive daily lessons about being drug free in classrooms by SADD Club students from the high school. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the SADD Club, consisting of 30 or more kids, will be in teams of two, enabling them to reach all the classrooms from kindergarten through fifth grade.
Tyrone middle and high school activities will include a daily morning announcement prepared by TASD Police Chief Mark Frailey, talking about drugs and alcohol over the public address system at the school.
Frailey stated, “It’s a positive message just to be drug-free. I think it’s most important for the elementary kids to see the older kids come down and tell them it is cool not to do drugs.” “We have Tyler Mertiff, Danny Grazier, Andy Fogleman, Katie Whitby, Lee Otto and Casey Bonsell, they’re all either student council or student leaders, and when they go down there and the kids hear the football player, the girl athlete or cheerleader say that it’s not cool to do drugs, I think that’s where the biggest impact is,” said Frailey.
Red Ribbons will be handed out SADD Club members to students during lunches, but the ribbons only go to the students who sign a large drug-free pledge poster in the cafeteria. There will be a different pledge poster for every class from sixth to twelfth grade. Staff also can sign and get a ribbon.
The SADD Club will also host a ‘Drug Free Party American Idol/Dance’ Thursday night from 7-10 p.m. in the high school cafeteria.
The big event is happening Thursday at 1:20 p.m., which includes elementary, middle and high school students. There will be a ‘Human Chain Activity’ where all students, staff, etc. will be encouraged to wear red clothes. At the designated time, everyone will form a human chain around both schools symbolizing no drugs allowed. Pictures will be taken from the air and turned into posters.
Community members, school board, borough council, township supervisors, mayor, fire departments, AMED, local pastors, etc. will be encouraged to participate in the chain. If interested, people are to meet in the high school parking lot a little before the designated time.
The public can participate even further by getting a Red Ribbon tied on the antennae of their vehicle. If so desired, SADD Club students will be in the high school parking lot on Monday from 7-8 a.m. to tie on the Red Ribbon campaign item.
Assistant Principal Jim Butler said of the activities, “I think this will be high participation; that’s going to be evidence when we do the human chain. The other thing is it shows the people who are on the other side of the fence, the users, that the vast majority of our kids are against drug use and are willing to demonstrate that.”
“The activities are very well planned by Officer Frailey and the members of the Police Explorers and the SADD Club and so forth, so it’s an opportunity for kids to stand up and say, ‘most of us don’t do drugs,’” said Butler.
The Bellwood-Antis elementary, middle and high schools are also recognizing National Red Ribbon Week with Blair County’s theme ‘Freedom From Drugs.’
B-A Principal Mike Sakash said that the high school will distribute red pencils saying ‘Freedom From Drugs,’ instead of the traditional Red Ribbon. The high school will also do some drug free announcements over the school’s broadcast system throughout the week.
“We always want to make the kids aware of the problems that come with drugs, and especially bring it up a notch during Red Ribbon Week,” said Sakash.
The middle school students at Bellwood-Antis will be distributed Red Ribbons and kept in he forefront of the awareness of being drug-free through announcements next week, beginning on Wednesday.
“It’s an excellent opportunity to keep this important concern in the front of people’s minds to be drug-free and it’s an opportunity to remind students all the negative consequences associated with drugs and drug use,” said middle school Principal Bob Fisher.
Terri Harpster, principal at Myers Elementary, stated the importance of reaching the kids at a young age when dealing with drug prevention, and Red Ribbon Week is an extra incentive to teach kids about drugs.
The school already has an on-going drug and alcohol curriculum taught by teachers throughout the year called ‘Here’s Looking At You 2000,” which provides information and awareness, teaches kids refusal skills, self-esteem, and it gives them social interaction skills by learning how to make friends and keeping those friendships.
With Red Ribbon Week, the elementary kids will be receiving Red Ribbons and each teacher has been given a handout of various activities that they can participate in as a classroom group to promote drug prevention.
“I think anything we can do at an elementary level is great because we can help them gain self-esteem, confidence and refusal skills, because once people start using drugs it’s hard to turn back,” said Harpster.
She added, “We can catch them at a young age before they have to make that sort of decision.”
Red Ribbon Week is a special event that promotes drug-free awareness, and it’s important that the Tyrone and Bellwood-Antis schools continue to support this national campaign in creative but serious ways.
