Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – Red Ribbon Week will be observed for the first time at Presque Isle Middle School Oct. 25-31, and organizers hope the event will make an impact on students’ lives.
“Red Ribbon Week is the largest drug prevention campaign in the country,” said Allison Reed, adviser of the school’s Civil Rights Team. “It’s meant to promote a drug-free environment and awareness to the community … especially for schools.
“This is the first year it’s been observed at PIMS. This is my first year here and I wanted to jump right in. I took on the Civil Rights Team, and their responsibility is to promote a healthy, safe and friendly environment for kids,” she said. “We want to make sure that kids are coming to school, and they feel accepted, wanted and safe. I came across this information on Red Ribbon Week and felt that it was a good opportunity to raise awareness in the school and the community.”
As part of Red Ribbon Week, students and faculty are encouraged to donate money to the “Invest in a Vest” fund that will be used to buy a bulletproof vest for the two dogs at the Presque Isle Police Department to share.
“One of the things that’s always fun to do is something for the community,” said Reed. “While the donations are coming from just within the school, we wanted to do something for the community. Since Red Ribbon Week is about drugs and drug awareness, we thought what better way to protect our local drug dog and provide him with a vest. It’s something the students are very interested in and excited about.”
“I think it’s really good that we get to help out the police station,” said seventh-grade Civil Rights Team member Kolby Knight. “If somebody tries to do drugs and they get away, the police officers might not be able to find them. But with this dog having to go into drug busts and people having guns that could kill the dog, I think getting a bulletproof vest is a really good investment.”
To prepare for Red Ribbon Week, the Civil Rights Team decorated two bulletin boards.
“The one in the lobby is an informational board, while the one in the cafeteria is going to be our ‘Invest in a Vest’ bulletin board, which is going to track donations,” Reed said. “When we get a donation, we have little paws that kids will sign and then be tacked up on the bulletin board.”
Each student will also receive a red ribbon that is numbered.
“During the day, Mrs. Reed will draw a number and the person who has that numbered ribbon will win a prize,” said Kate Campbell, an eighth-grade member of the Civil Rights Team. “You have to keep your ribbon throughout the whole week. There’s a healthy message on the ribbon, as well.”
A raffle will be held this Friday at a school dance, and proceeds from the sale of tickets will be put back into the Civil Rights Team.
“Students will also receive ‘Pledging to be Drug-Free’ stickers that will be given out on the last day of Red Ribbon Week,” said Knight. “We’ll ask the students to sign their names to the stickers and wear them throughout the day.”
Team members will also be giving out candy each day during the week that features a positive message.
“One day it will say, ‘Be a lifesaver,’ and we’ll give out Lifesavers,” said Knight. “Another day it will say, ‘Make a Commitment to be Drug-Free’ and we’ll give out mints, or ‘It’s Sweeter to Live a Drug-Free Life’ with jelly beans or a Tootsie Roll. All students in the school will be receiving some type of candy that has a message.”
Members of the team will be making announcements during the morning over the intercom about being drug free.
“One message is ‘Don’t let your money go up in smoke,’” said Campbell. “It talks about not wasting your money on tobacco and drugs because instead of buying those products – in one year’s time – you could buy 120 CDs, 200 movie tickets, 1,600 sodas, or even a trip to Hawaii.”
Every day during Red Ribbon Week will correspond with a different clothing option for the students.
“The first day everyone will wear red,” said Knight. “Another day will be, ‘Drugs give you the blues,’ and kids can wear blue. We also have, ‘Drugs and I don’t match’ and we can wear clothes that don’t match like plaid with corduroys, and another is ‘Sock it to drugs’ and we can wear crazy, mix-matched socks. It’ll be fun.”
Homerooms will also participate in a Fantastic Flag contest.
“Every homeroom will create a flag that represents their belief in remaining drug-free and those flags will be turned in and we’ll have a panel of judges critique them,” said Reed. “They can be as creative as they want, and the winning homeroom will receive a pizza party sponsored by the Civil Rights Team. The flags will then be put up around the school.”
Reed said there are between 45 and 50 members of the Civil Rights Team.
“Everyone’s involved in Red Ribbon Week one way or another,” she said. “Some are reading announcements, some are collecting donations, some are handing out candy, some helped with the bulletin boards, and some are helping at the dance. Everyone’s really involved.”
Knight and Campbell said it’s important to spread the drug-free message.
“We tell people don’t do drugs, don’t do tobacco or alcohol because it can really affect their lives very dramatically and it can really ruin them,” said Knight.
“The main thing I wish my classmates to get out of Red Ribbon Week is the positive message,” Campbell said. “Drugs and alcohol can destroy their lives and once you get in, it’s really hard to get out. I hope that the kids know that if they’re doing those things, we’re here to support them. If they need help, we’ll give it to them.”
The National Family Partnership organized the first nationwide Red Ribbon campaign in 1988 to honor Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, who worked his way through college, served in the Marines and became a police officer in California.
Camarena later decided to join the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA sent Camarena to work undercover in Mexico investigating a major drug cartel believed to include officers in the Mexican army, police and government. On Feb. 7, 1985, the 37-year-old Camarena left his office to meet his wife for lunch. Five men appeared at the agent’s side and shoved him in a car. One month later, Camarena’s body was found in a shallow grave. He had been tortured to death.
In honor of Camarena’s memory and his battle against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to wear red badges of satin. Parents, sick of the destruction of alcohol and other drugs, had begun forming coalitions. Some of these new coalitions took Camarena as their model and embraced his belief that one person can make a difference. These coalitions also adopted the symbol of Camarena’s memory, the red ribbon.
In 1997, the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse began committing resources to ensure the continuation of the Red Ribbon Campaign in Texas, as well as the hopes and beliefs behind this grassroots effort to protect children from the dangers of alcohol and other drugs.
Reed said she hopes to make Red Ribbon Week an annual event at the middle school.
“I really believe in education and that if you’re using substances, your mind is not clear and you’re not able to be the best person academically that you can be,” she said. “This is a school environment and that’s what we’re here to promote … academics, and drug prevention goes hand in hand with that.
“I’m hoping that we can annually do different things to celebrate Red Ribbon Week,” said Reed, “and come up with some fund-raisers for the community and help out organizations that deal with living a drug-free life.”
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
PUTTING THE FINISHING TOUCHES on a bulletin board at Presque Isle Middle School are students Kate Campbell and Kolby Knight, members of the school’s Civil Rights Team. The board helps to promote Red Ribbon Week, which will be observed at the school Oct. 25-31. Activities during the week include a raffle, candy giveaways, and a fund-raiser to collect money to buy a bulletproof vest for the two dogs at the Presque Isle Police Department to share. Officials hope to make Red Ribbon Week an annual event at the school.
