CLAD IN CAMOUFLAGE FOR A CAUSE

VA. Teens Sport Martial Attire in Fight Against Drugs

If classes had been held in a forest yesterday at Marshall Middle
School in Fauquier County, it would have been difficult for teachers
to take attendance.

As the first bell rang, students bounded into hallways wearing twig-
and branch-imprinted jackets or sporting fatigues stamped U.S. Army.

Principal Christine Moschetti said the school asked the students to
don the martial clothing to show support for "the fight against
drugs." She wore a leafy, oversized camouflage T-shirt that she had
bought at Wal-Mart for $5.

Camouflage Day at Marshall was tied to a national anti-drug campaign
called Red Ribbon Week that began Monday. The week commemorates a
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent who was slain on duty in
Mexico in 1985. Organizers with National Family Partnership, a
Florida-based group, said thousands of schools nationwide are
participating through such activities as encouraging students to sign
drug-free pledges or sponsoring spirit weeks. Events at some schools
are similar to those found in a high school homecoming week, with
students asked to wear different outfits each day to promote different themes.

In Prince George's County, students at Benjamin Stoddert Middle
School wore red socks Monday to "sock it to drugs." In Prince William
County, Woodbridge Middle School students dressed like twins
yesterday "to pair up against drugs." In Loudoun County, Round Hill
Elementary School students will have a Crazy Hair Day tomorrow to
remind them to "use your head; don't do drugs."

Kris Gastley, director of health and physical education at Marshall,
saw the idea for the camouflage theme in an education catalogue and
thought it would resonate with students in the mostly rural district
about an hour west of Washington. The 526-student school is framed by
horse farms and trees with red and gold foliage. It's a few miles
down a winding, two-lane road from the affluent town of Middleburg
and home to a small but growing immigrant population.

Most students responded enthusiastically to the event, which occurred
near the start of the deer- and fox-hunting seasons. Many teachers
dressed up as well. One substitute teacher, a retired Navy pilot,
taught class in his flight suit.

But a few parents and others in the community were disturbed by the
camouflage theme. They suggested that it could promote symbols of
violence at a time when schools are still on alert from recent
shootings in Colorado and Pennsylvania. Some schools around the
country banned camouflage clothing in their dress codes after the
1999 Columbine High School shootings in Colorado.

One person complained to the county school board, Moschetti said.
Some parents decided that their children should not participate.

"I'm just not getting the camouflage," said Angie Arellano, whose
sixth-grade son opted out. "With everything going on in the world, I
really don't get it." She suggested more lighthearted alternatives,
such as "wear your jeans inside out" or "wear opposite shoes." She
said she planned to have a long talk with her son about war and
violence in response to the event.

Moschetti pointed out that the school has an anti-bullying curriculum
and that the system takes many security precautions. "I have had
people accuse me of being overly protective about school safety," she said.

In a walk through hallways, she peeked into classrooms. In one
homeroom, students wearing the tan hues of desert camo were reading
quietly. In an art class, boys were painting while wearing hunting
vests. In a U.S. history class, girls in cropped, green-toned camo
pants stood to recite the preamble to the Constitution.

Chrissy Keener, secretary of the school's Parent Teacher
Organization, said she had no problem with the theme. Her son, she
said, "wears camouflage any old time."

Seventh-grader Tyler Hale described his outfit with pride. "The vest
is from Desert Storm," he said, referring to the Persian Gulf War. It
was a gift from a family friend. The pants were for hunting. "I go
every year," he said.

Camouflage was more popular among boys, but girls got into the spirit, too.

Seventh-grader Elizabeth Domann was the picture of camo chic. She
wore solid pink leggings and a solid pink shirt with a cropped camo
vest and ruffled, drab-green skirt.

"I thought of camouflage, and I like how pink and green go together,"
Elizabeth said. She explained: "It's a good way to show your spirit for school."