ANTI-DRUG CAMPAIGN LIFTS OFF

Huntsville area schools will participate in the 2001 Walker County Red
Ribbon Kick-off celebration at the Walker County Courthouse Gazebo Tuesday
morning.

Walker County Judge Janie Farris, Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, will
open up the ceremony with a speech at 9 a.m. and student council members
from several area schools will perform individual skits to promote the
Americans United Against Drugs theme.

"The students will do skits or they will perform a song or a poem," said
Jayne Thurman, secretary to the assistant superintendent, and organizer of
the event.

According to Thurman over 160 students will be in attendance. "Channel 7
will be there and we've invited dignitaries from town to come and join us,"
she said.

"We've had good turnouts in the past. This is an annual event that has been
going on for at least ten years; the students take it very seriously,"
Thurman said. "I've been watching the weather on the news and it is
supposed to be nice, so that always helps."

Student council members from Stewart Elementary School in Huntsville will
create a brick wall made from several individual bricks which will display
inscriptions from students on each brick.

"The student council members are really excited," said Connie Mathis,
school counselor. "They've been working really hard," she said.

In addition the school will have a red ribbon theme and event for each day
this week. On Tuesday the students will host a balloon launch at the
school, releasing over 100 red and white helium balloons. "We're going to
attempt the balloon launch at 8:45 a.m. with the theme, 'Drugs Can't Keep
Us Down,'" Mathis said.

The events for red ribbon week will continue throughout the week at most of
the Huntsville area schools.