Marshall FluhartyMaroon Echoes News Red Ribbon Week has been a tradition in schools across the country for decades. In our small town, it’s the final full week of October. Red Ribbon Week was started in 1985, as a tribute to the fallen DEA special agent Enrique Camerena. He was kidnapped on February 7th in Mexico while on the job, where he was tortured and killed after being found out by the drug traffickers he was tailing. In many ways, this has lead to what many of us now today.
Red Ribbon Week is a time to teach students to say it’s okay to say no to drugs, alcohol, and tobacco and give them a sense of awareness of the dangers of the products. Teachers will be playing videos made with famous figures, speaking of their “natural highs” and how they managed to stay away from drugs, alcohol, and tobacco by using their passions to drive them forward to greater things. Much of this week’s program can be found on the site, naturalhigh.org. Students will be watching personal commentaries during Advisory on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week. Along videos student will be involved in activities and discussion questions to promote the awareness of personal decisions in their lives. “It was dancing. Just dancing and trying to reach my goals to keep me away from things like alcohol,” says Chelsie Hightower, a professional dancer who has appeared on television. She says she focused on her future success when asked about how she managed to stay away from drugs and alcohol. She speaks in great detail about her appreciation for dance and how it kept her from peer pressure and other toxicants in her life. “I wanna do what I saw when I was nine years old, I want to play baseball. I can’t be missing practice or getting DUI’s.” says professional baseball player Jeyson Heyward. He says that it was his dream to be a baseball player that drove him to avoid the mistakes of his peers. His dream was so powerful to him, the natural high from watching or playing, was enough for him. This week’s classroom discussions include questions relating students to the popular figures and their personal stories; such as ‘What is your personal high?’ and ‘Who do you look up to?’ Activities include talking to your fellow students, paying them compliments and writing down important things you’d like to do with your life in the future. All in an effort to promote self-awareness and show that drugs, alcohol, and tobacco do not have to be the answer to personal stress or peer pressure.
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Maroon Echoes StaffAdvisor- Ronnie Waggoner Archives
November 2020
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