RED RIBBON WEEK TEACHES STUDENTS TO 'JUST SAY NO'

Rolla Public School District Students Got a Week-Long Lesson on How
to Just Say "No" During Nationwide Red Ribbon Week.

Red Ribbon Week is the oldest and largest drug prevention program in
the United States and was started in 1988 by the National Family
Partnership to teach children about the harms of alcohol, drug and
tobacco use. Though it is traditionally recognized the week of Oct.
23 through 31, Rolla Junior High School took time last week to teach
its students about the dangers of substance abuse with a variety of
activities that included a student-organized assembly on Wednesday.

"This is our first ever totally student led and planned assembly,"
Rolla Junior High School guidance counselor Dennis Noel, who
organized Red Ribbon Week, said. "On of the students' goals was to
get every group involved."

Jamie Myers, director of Prevention Consultants of Missouri-Rolla,
and Kelly Hinshaw, Rolla Public School District activities director,
spoke to eighth and ninth grade students at the assembly about the
perils of drug abuse and how to avoid them.

Myers was the first to speak and told the students about an
eye-opening experience he had while working at a rehabilitation
facility as a college student. Myers said he met a gentleman at the
facility who he guessed to be about 60 to 65 years old who Myers
called "Don." Myers said Don was in rehabilitation due to years of
alcohol abuse.

"I thought, 'This is an older guy and he's been drinking all his
life,'" Myers said.

The man had suffered nerve damage as a result of his drinking and no
longer picked up his feet when he walked. When Myers noted the
observation to one of the facility's doctors he was told Don could no
longer feel his feet because the alcohol abuse had caused permanent
nerve damage. Myers was also told by the doctor that Don was only
35-years-old, almost half the age Myers had guessed him to be. Myers
said this was a lesson to him about how badly alcohol and other
substances can deteriorate the body.

"It doesn't matter how smart you are, it doesn't matter how much
money you have - addiction can happen to anybody," Myers told students.

Myers said he knows sometimes life can become difficult, but of each
individual has a choice in how to deal with the hard times and
substance abuse is never a healthy way to cope.

Next, Hinshaw spoke about avoiding alcohol, drug and tobacco use by
becoming involved in a sport or other activity. Like Myers, he
explained to students they have choice in their future and if they
choose to go down the path of substance abuse there will be
consequences. He then told of a friend of his who had a promising
future but died young as a result of alcohol abuse. Hinshaw compared
the decision to drink and do drugs to playing a game of Russian Roulette.

"You're loading all five of the chambers," Hinshaw said.

In addition to the assembly, Rolla Junior High School students
participated in a variety of other activities to promote substance
abuse prevention including poster and door decorating contests and a
penny war between the eighth and ninth grades. Noel said money raised
by the penny war will be used to help less-fortunate students with
purchasing items such as gloves and coats, or to help a student whose
family has experienced a tragedy such as a house fire.

"We want to be able to take care of our own," Noel said.

In the classroom, teachers incorporated substance abuse prevention
curriculum into the week's lessons and many classes watched the
Phelps County Anti-Drug Committee's "Misery of Meth" DVD. The home
economics classes learned how to make a low-fat red soup containing
nutrients from each food group and heard a lecture about "getting
high" on a healthy lifestyle. The video production class made public
service announcements about the effects of drugs, tobacco and alcohol
and the speech class performed a poem for special needs students
titled "Drunk Driving Crashes." Finally, all junior high school
students were encouraged to participate in "spirit days" by dressing
up for favorite team day, hats and shades day, crazy hair day, twin
day, and anti-drug or red t-shirt day.

Rolla Middle School students also participated in Red Ribbon Week
events from Oct. 23 through 31. In an assembly organized by middle
school guidance counselor Jarena Powell, students got a lesson about
substance abuse awareness from professional BMX bike stunt artists
Bill Nitschke and Devin Goens.

"The kids really enjoyed it and had some good messages about being
drug free," Middle School guidance counselor Chris Hill said.

Hill said all of the Red Ribbon Week activities except for the
assembly were organized by students in the middle school's service
club with help from herself and teachers Bobbie Shelton and Cindy Jones.

"The students do all of the work for this," Hill said. "And for
fifth, sixth and seventh graders, that's amazing."

Other Red Ribbon Week activities included a homeroom hat design
contest and spirit days such as the "Aloha, No-ha" Hawaiian wear day
that matched the middle school's Set Sail With Good Choices theme.

Rolla High School guidance counselor Amanda McNew said students at
the high school participated in a day of Red Ribbon activities.
Prevention Consultants donated red banners that were hung in the
school's hallways and students who wore a red or anti-drug t-shirt
were given a prize.

"We want to raise awareness among students about substance abuse and
prevention," McNew said.