PINON HILLS STUDENTS DON RED FOR LIFE

Pinon Hills Elementary School students wore red and pledged to be
drug free by wearing wrist bands that read "Drug use is life abuse."

This was the first year that Pinon Hills students participated in Red
Ribbon Week. The students were presented information about the
prevention of unhealthy behavior, were made aware of drugs and the
negative consequences of their abuse.

Erick Barros, 11, learned that alcohol use has consequences.

"If you're a teenager, alcohol affects you more than adults."

Ten-year-old Jessica Martin agreed with Erick.

"It could keep you from growing and kills brain cells."

Morganne Wright, 10, learned that kids who abuse drugs "don't do well
in sports."

She also learned that "girl teenagers use meth to loose weight."

Students are instructed about drug abuse from Drug Abuse Resistance
Education officer Chris Griffith every Tuesday. He gives statistics
of drug related crimes with juveniles.

"Officer Griffith said don't chew tobacco and don't do drugs," said Morganne.

"Angel dust is one of the worst," said Jessica.

Part of the activities for Red Ribbon Week for Pinon Hills students
were daily drawings for pencils, water bottles, Frisbees, footballs
and calculators. Morganne won a bracelet that read "2 Cool 4 Drugs."

Erick said that the activities taught him about how peer pressure
could cause drug abuse, although he saw it when he lived in Brazil.

"Some kids made you do drugs where I used to live," Erick said.

The National Family Partnership was formed to help promote drug-free
youth through prevention and education and with events such as Red
Ribbon Week. Pinon Hills students became more aware of illegal drugs
and that they had choices not to abuse them.

"It's good to be drug free and bad to use drugs," Kaitlin Capra, 10,
said. "You still can have fun and not use drugs."

This is the 20th annual Red Ribbon Week. It has been held the last
week in October every year to honor the memory of Drug Enforcement
Administration special agent Enrique Camarena who was killed by drug
traffickers in 1985.

The tradition of wearing red ribbons started as a symbol of
intolerance towards the use of drugs. The National Family Partnership
was formed to coordinate Red Ribbon Week activities nationally.