RED RIBBON WEEK - 'MAKING GOOD, HEALTHY CHOICES'

The sound of an approaching helicopter broke the mid-afternoon
stillness.

On the ground students started screaming, cheering for the chopper as
it made its way over the tree line. Within moments, the helicopter was
on the ground amidst a cloud of dust.

Dennis Floyd, a special agent/pilot with the Drug Enforcement
Administration, emerged from the drug helicopter and onto the ball
field at Pleasant Grove Elementary School, making his way to a podium,
where he addressed the students with an anti-drug message.

Floyd's appearance was a part of Red Ribbon Week, celebrated at
Pleasant Grove and other schools throughout the county.

"Elementary school kids actually absorb more," Floyd said minutes
before he took off from the school to perform a few aerial maneuvers.
"These kids are great; they listen to what you say."

But for the students, it wasn't just the verbal part of the message
that caught their attention; the helicopter was just as much of a
draw. Just ask fourth-grader Timothy Crawford.

"It's cool, it's fast," he said of the helicopter, adding he was most
intrigued by "the way it flies."

It's no coincidence the helicopter, used for aerial drug searches,
appears at such events.

"They remember that," Floyd said of the students. "That's why we use
it as a tool in the anti-drug message."

This year's Red Ribbon Week activities aren't limited to Pleasant
Grove, however. Schools system wide are responsible for planning Red
Ribbon Week activities, said Cindy Foster, spokeswoman for Henry
County Schools.

Other schools, like Flippen Elementary School are also jumping in the
action. The school, in conjunction with Eagle's Landing Middle and
Eagle's Landing High schools, has a theme for Red Ribbon Week n "We
were meant to live drug free."

A theme song and theme days "are all part of Flippen's Red Ribbon
Activities that help make the point to students that they need to make
good choices in life to stay drug free," said Cindy Adair, the
school's media specialist. "These activities are all about making
good, healthy choices so students can live long, happy lives."

Kindergarten and first grade students at Flippen Elementary have made
"monster face" plates for a bulletin board display at both Eagle's
Landing Middle and Eagle's Landing High schools. The display will
"send the message that if you do drugs you become a monster," Adair
said.

Second through fifth grade students at Flippen are making poster
messages for homeroom classes at Eagle's Landing High "about the
importance of remaining drug free," Adair said. On Friday, students,
along with Flippen's counselors and social worker, will deliver the
messages to the high school.

A Red Ribbon Rally will be held Friday afternoon, culminating a week
of activities.

Also, the Henry County Board of Commissioners has proclaimed this week
Red Ribbon Week, hoping to call attention to substance abuse.

Started in 1985 in memory of DEA agent Enrique Camarena, who was
killed by drug traffickers, Red Ribbon Week today is a nationally
recognized program aimed at reducing the demand for drugs. Through
prevention and education initiatives, communities across the country
will be participating in the week, and thousands of children will
pledge to lead drug-free lives.

Henry County residents can obtain a red ribbon pin, a flyer explaining
the Red Ribbon Campaign and an educational coloring book at the
reception desk of the Henry County Administration Building, 140 Henry
Parkway in McDonough while supplies last.