PUTTING THEIR BEST FOOT FORWARD

Students at Brownwood Intermediate School found some creative ways to
observe Red Ribbon Week, a nationwide event geared toward educating
people of the dangers associated with drugs, alcohol, and violence,
and the dangers law enforcement officials encounter each day fighting
the drug war in America.

Gifted and talented students' teacher Frances Taylor said the events
have provided an open forum for students to ask questions and get
honest answers from administration and other professionals like
Brownwood Police Department's D.A.R.E. (Drug Awareness Resistance and
Education) officers and Jan Golub, BIS student counselor.

"As children get older, they will encounter different situations and
face difficult decisions. We want to help them to understand what
dangers are out there and help make the right choices -- regardless of
peer pressure," Taylor said. "As they get older, those situations can
be encountered more and more, and we are laying some groundwork that
shows them real-life ways to say no and make wise choices when they're
faced with those issues."

Since Monday, campus-wide events include themes like "Focus on Issues
Students Face Daily;" "Too Bright for Drugs," observed by wearing
brightly colored T-shirts; "Give Drugs the Slip," Tuesday's crazy
slippers day; "United We Stand for a Drug-Free Land," observed by
wearing red, white and blue; "Follow Your Dreams," a day students can
dress according to their career aspiration or intended college; and
"Brownwood Lions Against Drugs," appropriately, football Friday - the
day students are also encouraged to wear their Lions garb in support
of their home team.

Red Ribbon Week became a national observance nearly 15 years ago when
Enrique Cardenas, a Drug Enforcement Agency agent, was shot and killed
when drug dealers along the border discovered his identity. Cardenas
family and friends each donned a red ribbon as a symbol of remembrance
following his death, a symbol that continues throughout schools and
drug awareness programs across the nation.