DISTRICT OBSERVES RED RIBBON WEEK

Event Educates Children About Healthy Living

JAMESBURG -- The school district kicked off its annual Red Ribbon
Week on Monday, educating students on the dangers of drug use and the
importance of exercise and eating right.

Students at John F. Kennedy and Grace M. Breckwedel schools took part
in a number of events meant to emphasize the week's message in a
positive and memorable way, according to JFK Principal Al Perno.

"It's something that we emphasize year-round, but it's nice to take a
week and set it aside and really highlight the importance of saying
'no' to drugs and living a healthy lifestyle to kids so they don't
start to take it for granted after a while," he said. "Particularly
at this age, (the kids) are very impressionable, and if we can really
lay a solid foundation now to help them make responsible decisions,
it'll go a long way when they get older and they face peer pressure."

At the JFK school, students assembled in the gymnasium to witness the
unveiling of three antidrug slogans produced by teams of
fifth-graders from the school. The slogans -- Being Drug-Free is the
Right Way for You and Me, Watch Out for the Falling SKY (Smoking
Kills You) and Reach for the Stars, Not the Drugs -- were each
accompanied by a drawing that illustrated the message. They will be
displayed to the student body, which was scheduled to vote for its
favorite slogan Thursday, according to a school flier.

"Obviously, at their age level, they're too young to be debating
issues or really voting candidate-wise," Mr. Perno said. "So, we try
to come up with something that's going to allow them to get the
concept of voting, so when they get older and they start learning
about politics and democracy, they understand what a vote is."

The winner of the contest will be entered into the Great Events
Publishing slogan contest, which is held at a national level,
according to Lindsay Affeldt, a counselor at both schools who planned
most of the Red Ribbon Week events.

"If (the students') slogan wins, they can be put on some of the
products that the catalog sells to promote Red Ribbon Week," she said.

After the slogans were revealed, the children stood up and headed out
the side door next to the gym entrance for a health walk, Mr. Perno
said. The children, accompanied by their teachers, Mr. Perno and Ms.
Affeldt, made their way along the sidewalk of Forsgate Drive, through
a local neighborhood and back onto Front Street before re-entering
the school on Davison Avenue.

"This is a huge hit," Mr. Perno said. "It seems silly, like we're
just walking around the block, but for the kids, this is a break in
routine for them."

He said the walk was meant to encourage exercise by getting the
children walking.

The GMB school got Red Ribbon Week started in a similar fashion by
kicking off its Walk Across America on the school track. Every day
from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m., sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders will be
able to log miles for their class in an attempt to be the first group
to cover the over 3,000 miles -- the distance to California,
according to GMB Principal and Jamesburg Superintendent Shirley Bzdewka.

"I think that's going to be a wonderful project for us because it's
something we can do for the whole year and it'll promote healthy
habits," she said. "A lot of the kids don't get enough exercise, and
the track is right there, and the fact that we made it a competition
will maybe spur them on. They'll want to make sure that their team wins."

To kick off the program, each child was given a bracelet that read
"We Stand for a Drug-Free Land." The children then walked four laps
around the track, which is equal to a mile, Ms. Bzdewka said.

Earlier in the day, students planted 200 red tulips in front of the
school, according to Ms. Bzdewka. She said the display was meant to
"signify leading a drug-free life."