SCHOOLS SUPPORT DRUG-AWARENESS PROGRAM

Schools promoted drug-free activities and drug prevention during last
week's Red Ribbon Week events.

Students at each county school were asked to participate in different
activities each day to promote drug awareness during the national program.

"These activities allow us to get our message out each day to
students. The activities are based around their classroom activities.
We do it differently every year to keep it fresh," said Connie Board,
a nurse at Lipsey Middle School who helped organize this year's events
there."

At Lipsey, students were asked to write short essays Monday on why
they would remain drug-free.

"We had wonderful essays," Board said.

The top 31 essays were selected and five students get to read their
essay on the intercom each morning as a special treat, she said.

Tuesday was the "Shade Out Drugs" Contest. Students were asked to wear
sunglasses and winners were chosen for the most outlandish or a cute
pair of sunglasses.

Other activities during the week at Lipsey included a "Wear Red" day
and the creation of a workbook about drug awareness.

"They'll actually have two weeks of activity with the activity book,"
Board said.

At Brookhaven Elementary School a "Pennies for Patients" was
incorporated into the Red Ribbon Week activities.

"It's really a penny war - boys against girls," said Rosalyn Brown, a
BES counselor who supervised the week's programs.

The girls and boys compete against each other to collect the most
pennies. To make it more challenging, Brown said, students are
encouraged to put nickels, dimes and quarters in each other's jar in
order to get the same amount of pennies subtracted from the total count.

The money collected will be donated to the Pennies for Patients
Leukemia/Lymphoma Foundation of Mississippi. The winners receive a
free popcorn party.

Brown said a similar event last year raised $800.

"This year I think we're going to top it," she said.

Each class also created a drug-free banner. The banners were posted on
the wall and used during the annual "Drug-Free Red Ribbon Parade"
Friday to wrap-up the week-long program.

Other schools in the county held programs of their own throughout the
week.