Walk around Clay Middle on Red Day and you’d find kids decked-out in red, while others were just wearing red shirt or pants. But all of them wore red for the same thing: to support Red Ribbon Week.
Red Ribbon Week is a national week to inform the public about the dangers of drugs and drug abuse. It takes place all over the United States and is observed during the month of October.
Red Ribbon Week started back when an agent by the name of Enrique S. Camarena was killed. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, he was born on July 26, 1947 and lived in Mexico until he joined the Marine Corps. After serving for two years, he worked as a Narcotics Investigator for the El Centro Police Department and decided to start working for the DEA.
He worked to find drug dealers, and in early 1985, he was close to unlocking a multi-billion dollar drug pipeline. However, he was kidnapped on February 7, 1985 and killed.
Shortly after he died, the Congressman, Duncan Hunter, and Henry Lozano launched Camarena Clubs in Calexico, Calif., Camarena's home town. These became widely popular and spread all over the nation. It became so popular that there was a campaign for it and the president of the U.S formalized it.
The National Family Partnership now sponsors Red Ribbon Week and gets more than eight million people to wear a red ribbon or support the event that now takes place in October.
For more than 20 years, Clay has participated in Red Ribbon Week. It is organized byt he guidance department. Red Ribbon Week is an time to teach kids about the effects of drugs and drug overdose.
Students over the years have been supporting this movement.
We have been doing Red Ribbon Week since 1988. Even though not many people know about the origins of this movement, we still teach the dangers of drugs to the students here. Officer Dewalt helps us out in that,” Lisa Bellamy, Student Services Coordinator and Guidance Counselor, said.
To go with Red Ribbon Week, Clay has incorporated the dress-up schedule to get students enthusiastic about Red Ribbon Week and saying no to drugs.
“I enjoy teaching the students about drugs and watching them signs slips to pledge to be drug free, but also enjoy it when they dress up for Red Ribbon week,” Bellamy said.
.JPG) |
| The guidance department set up a photo booth during lunch during Red Ribbon Week. Photo by Uday Lomada |
.JPG) |
| One of the dress up days for Red Ribbon Week was "red out" day. Photo by Uday Lomada |