Red Ribbon Week to be celebrated
Albany residents will soon be seeing red as the annual Red Ribbon anti-drug campaign kicks off next Monday morning.
The annual “Red Ribbon Campaign” has been officially set for Oct. 22-26 at the Albany school district.
This is the 30th straight year that the event, which is designed to draw as much attention as possible to the problems of drug and alcohol abuse and its prevention, has been conducted locally.
The national theme for 2018 is “Life Is Your Journey, Travel Drug Free.”
The event is sponsored locally by Albany ISD and the Albany Task Force on Drug and Alcohol Abuse, with support provided by several other state and local agencies.
“Our goal is to increase awareness, not only about drug abuse, but also about some of the leading causes of it,” said Albany ISD counselor Dee Dee Waggoner. “We will be observing Red Ribbon Week next week on both campuses, using the national theme.”
Secondary Events
A full five-day observation of Red Ribbon Week will be held on the secondary campus.
“We will have our annual door decorating contest at Albany Junior/Senior High School,” Waggoner said. “The doors must be finished Thursday, Oct. 25. Judging will be done on Friday.”
The winning class will be announced at the pep rally, and will receive a pizza party.
Theme dress-up days for Red Ribbon week are:
Monday, Oct. 22 – Movie Character: Be the Star of Your Drug Free Journey.
Tuesday, Oct. 23 – Red: Go Red Together for Our Drug Free Journey.
Wednesday, Oct. 24 – Camo: Don’t Let Drugs Find You on Your Drug Free Journey.
Thursday, Oct. 25 – Team (College or Pro): Team Up for a Drug Free Journey.
Friday, Oct. 26 – Black Out: Wipe Out Drugs on Your Drug Free Journey.
“I have water bottles with this year’s theme on them for daily prizes,” added Waggoner.
NSES Events
Elementary students can participate in special activities that have been set for the last three days of the week-long celebration, Oct. 24-26.
Leigh Lowe, event coordinator, has planned theme days to increase awareness for staying drug free.
The themes for NSES student dress-up days on Oct. 24-26 are the same as the ones on the secondary campus – Camo, Teams. and Black Out.
Poster Contest
Another special activity at the elementary campus will be the annual drug-free poster contest.
Participating children will design and turn in their posters to the NSES office by 9:00 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 26. Prizes are $25, $15, and $10 and are sponsored by the Albany Task Force.
“Participation in the poster contest is completely voluntary,” Lowe said, “but entries must follow all the rules.”
Winners will be announced on Monday, Oct. 29.
Elementary students who chose to compete will make individual posters, no larger than a piece of large construction paper, promoting the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse.
“The student’s name and grade must be placed on the back of the poster,” said Lowe.
The entries need to be brought to the elementary school office by Friday, Oct. 26 to compete for prizes.
First, second, and third place prizes will be awarded in each of four age groups: pre-K, Head Start and kindergarten; first and second grades; third and fourth grades; and fifth and sixth grades.
Background Info
The first Red Ribbon Campaign was organized in 1986 by a grass roots organization of parents dedicated to protecting communities from the destruction caused by alcohol and drug abuse.
The red ribbon was adopted as a symbol of the movement in honor of Enrique Camarena, an agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration kidnapped and killed while investigating drug traffickers.
