STUDENTS HAVE FUN WITH ANTI-DRUG ACTIVITIES

Students in Moffat County have elected to be drug free and wore red,
white and blue Wednesday to show their commitments.

"Students learned about the dangers of tobacco, alcohol and other drug
use," said Cindy Biskup, director of Grand Futures Prevention Coalition.

Across the district, students participated in drug-free and
drug-education activities.

At the elementary school level, students wore certain clothes to
coincide with the theme of each day.

On Monday, students wore red to kick off the week. They turned their
clothes inside out or backward Tuesday to show they turned their back
on drugs.

Friday's Halloween festivities also were part of the theme: Drugs are
Scary.

One day, students had an activity-filled two hours when Craig Middle
School students hosted a carnival.

"Schools plan a lot of the activities on their own," Biskup said.
"We're the coordinating agency."

Shannon Samuelson, a counselor at Ridgeview Elementary School, put a
lot of effort into Red Ribbon Week activities.

"We've had a lot of fun," she said.

She created a placemat covered with drug-free activity ideas and
information for students to take home.

The idea was that they use the placemat during a family meal and take
advantage of that time to talk to their parents about drugs and to
give parents an opening to share their values.

Students were encouraged to bring the placemat back signed by their
parents. Of the 240 students at Ridgeview, more than 200 brought their
placemats back with signatures.

Parents also were involved when students brought home construction
paper to collect handprints of all their family in tune with the
theme: Hands off Drugs. One student brought back the prints off all of
his family members, including his cat.

Samuelson said she doesn't talk to students about specific drugs, she
talks to them about making healthy choices and preserving
self-esteem.

"You have the choice," she tells them. "Think, 'How is this going to
affect me?'"

The message got across -- at least to the students Samuelson talked
to.

"They definitely got the message," she said. "Research proves the
younger the better. Early intervention is the key."

East Elementary School hosted an ice cream social as part of their
activities, and Sunset Elementary School students planted red tulip
bulbs.

At the high school level, health class students have spent a couple of
weeks in drug and alcohol education with several guest speakers.

Several agencies partnered to help fund Red Ribbon Week activities,
including the Craig Police Department, Moffat County Sheriff's
Department, Substance Abuse Prevention Program and United Way.