Thousands of Northside students "teamed up against drugs" this past week to help celebrate Red Ribbon Week.
Many schools planned special events, parades, and rallies to help spread the drug-free message to students including Aue, Brauchle, Carson, Glass, Glen Oaks, Hatchett, Helotes, Mary Hull, Scobee, Villarreal, and Westwood Terrace elementary schools.
At Brauchle Elementary, for example, students wore their favorite sports team's shirt to "team up against drugs," and at Helotes Elementary, students wore crazy socks to "sock it to drugs."
"Red Ribbon Week is a celebration of the commitment by students to stay drug free," said Kimberly Burke, coordinator of the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities program. "The Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities program would like to thank all Northside stakeholders for supporting students through these prevention activities."
Red Ribbon Week was inspired by the 1985 murder of Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, an agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency who dedicated his life to fighting illegal drugs. While working undercover in Mexico, he was kidnapped and killed by illegal drug traffickers.
In response to his death, young people in his hometown of California began wearing red ribbons and urged others to take a stand against drugs. Their efforts grew, and in 1988, Congress officially proclaimed the last week in October as Red Ribbon Week. Today, more than 100,000 schools and organizations across the nation take a stand against drug and alcohol use during Red Ribbon Week.
The Red Ribbon campaign, sponsored by National Family Partnership, is now the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation.
