Pubdate: Mon, 22 Oct 2007
Source: Whittier Daily News (CA)
Copyright: 2007 Los Angeles Newspaper Group
Contact: http://www.whittierdailynews.com/writealetter
Website: http://www.whittierdailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/497
Author: Caroline An, Staff Writer
Cited: National Family Partnership http://www.nfp.org
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Red+Ribbon+Week
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)

RED RIBBON WEEK IS HERE

Schools Around the Country to Take Part in Anti-Drug Campaign

With schools nationwide starting Red Ribbon Week celebrations today, 
good decisions and living a drug- and alcohol-free life will be 
stressed in thousands of classrooms.

Local education officials laud the initiative - the nation's oldest 
and largest drug-prevention program - that encourages school 
districts to partner with cities in getting the message to students.

But they also said promoting a healthy lifestyle needs to be part of 
the daily classroom discussions, not just tied to weeklong campaigns 
like Red Ribbon Week.  Starting the discussions at an early age will 
also benefit students, educators said.

"We have to teach them the difference between appropriate drugs 
prescribed by the doctor and drug abuse, which is characterized by 
addictive-type behavior," said Carol Strother, supervisor of health 
services at Baldwin Park Unified.

Strother added that in kindergarten classes, a medicine cabinet 
filled with "fake" medicine such as cough drops or aspirin, is part 
of the drug education discussions.

"We keep it simple," she said.

The Red Ribbon Campaign was started when drug traffickers in Mexico 
City killed DEA agent Kiki Camarena in 1985.

Ileana Reyes, director of communications for Informed Families, with 
the National Family Foundation, which sponsors the Red Ribbon 
program, said that the organization helps schools plan the weeklong 
activities. But the district is responsible for setting the agenda of 
the celebration, she said.

School districts have district-wide drug education programs tailored 
for each grade, such as the Too Good for Drugs and Too Good for 
Violence, which is offered in Pomona and Rowland unified, and 
stresses making good decisions and not succumbing to peer pressure.

For the upper grades, some districts discuss drug issues in their 
science and social science classes. For issues like steroids, some 
districts rely on physical education teachers or coaches to inform 
students about the risks.

Richard Evers, director of child welfare, attendance and secondary 
education at Charter Oak Unified, said that steroids are being 
discussed at the high school as part of the Health and Careers course 
the students are required to take. The issue is important because of 
student athletes, he added.

Officials said that revisions to the drug education curriculum are 
revised based on new information from state and county health officials.

Ultimately, convincing students of making good personal choices and 
leading a healthy lifestyle should be a topic of discussion everyday.

Various district officials point out that national campaigns 
commemorated over one week focuses on broader issues and that having 
lively and insightful discussions among teacher and students in class 
is just as effective.

"We pay special attention during the week but it has be on the 
everyone's mind every day," Evers said. 
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