Events slated for Red Ribbon Week
By Lynsi Musselman
The 32nd annual anti-drug campaign called Red Ribbon Week kicks off Oct. 26-30 for the Albany Independent School District.
The event is sponsored locally by AISD and the Albany Task Force on Drugs and Alcohol Abuse, with support provided by several other state and local agencies.
The national theme for 2020 is “Be Happy, Be Brave, Be Drug Free.”
A full five-day observation of Red Ribbon Week, including dress-up themes each day, will be held on both campuses this year.
Nancy Smith Elementary School counselor Susie Beard said the elementary school will start the week wearing a crazy or favorite hat for ‘Put a Cap on Drugs,’ Tuesday dress is twin day for ‘Friends Don’t Let Friends Do Drugs,’ Wednesday is nerd day for ‘We are too Smart for Drugs,’ Thursday is wear all black or Halloween colors for ‘Drugs are Scary! Black out Drugs,’ and Friday students can wear a favorite team jersey or red for the Albany Lion for ‘Team Up Against Drugs!’
Beard explained there will also be a poster contest for Red Ribbon Week due on Friday, Oct. 30.
The contest will be judged by groups with a first place prize of $25, a second place prize of $15, and third place prize of $10.
Groups will be divided by grades in the elementary school.
The first group will be pre-school, head start, and kindergarten. The second group will be first and second grade. The third group will be third and fourth grade, and the final group will be fifth and sixth grade.
The voluntary contest is sponsored by The Albany Drug Task Force.
Winners will be announced on Monday, Nov. 2.
The secondary campus will also participate in the dress-up days for Red Ribbon Week during the last week of October.
AJSH counselor Jenny Scott said the secondary schedule will mirror NSES dress-up day themes.
“Students at the junior high and high school will also have a door decorating contest,” Scott added. “Details are not firmed up yet, but the plan is for the students to decorate the door for their second period class or WIN period.”
Scott said the decorating should start next week.
“There is an opportunity for all students to get involved in either the planning or actual decorating of the door,” Scott added.
Decorations typically go with the theme of Red Ribbon Week and are judged by members of the Albany Drug Task Force, with a winner announced Friday at the pep rally.
