DOBBS STUDENTS PAINT THEIR SCHOOL RED

Since last Wednesday, students at Dobbs Youth Development Center have been
showing their support for the fight against drugs.

The school is celebrating Red Ribbon Week, a campaign started by the
National Family Partnership in 1986, to educate the community about the
effects of drug use. The organization initiated the campaign to honor the
sacrifice of Enrique Camarena.

Camarena, who was an undercover DEA agent, devoted his life to preventing
drugs from entering the United States. Camarena, known as Kiki to his
friends, volunteered to go to Mexico to help gather information against
drug lords and police and military members whom he also thought were involved.

While in Mexico, Camarena was kidnapped when he was on his way to lunch one
day. He was found dead in a shallow grave a month later.

Red Ribbon Week is an effort to continue the work Camarena started. Dobbs
students observed the week with several special activities.

Wednesday's activity was a discussion of heroes and why it is important to
have people to admire.

Rich Boswell, director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free North Carolina,
spoke to Dobbs students Wednesday about how drug use can harm their lives.

Boswell said the goal of his presentation was to inform students about the
dangers of drug use and let them know there are alternatives to using
drugs. He said students have to be shown that drug use is not as prevalent
as they think.

"Peer pressure is out there," Boswell said. "We have to show them that not
everyone is doing it."

Students think some drugs are social drugs, Boswell said. They think if
they use them occasionally, they won't suffer any serious consequences. One
such drug is ecstasy.

Teen ecstasy use has increased by about 73 percent, Boswell said.

"It's the same thing that crack cocaine was in the '80s," Boswell said.

Ecstasy is a tablet about the size of an M&M candy, Boswell said. The pills
have different emblems such as the Nike swoosh and the Mitsubishi symbol.

"Ecstasy is the single most dangerous drug that is on the market right now
because it is killing people," Boswell said.

The most dangerous aspect of ecstasy is that, because the drug is not
manufactured in a controlled environment, buyers never know what they are
getting, Boswell said.

He used former college basketball star Len Bias to convey to students that
no drug is a social drug; one use can prove deadly.

Bias was chosen as the Boston Celtics' No. 1 pick in the 1986 NBA draft and
was the second pick overall. Just one day after being drafted, Bias went
into cardiac arrest and died.

Bias' death later was found to be related to cocaine use. It was reportedly
the first time Bias had ever tried cocaine.

Boswell encouraged students to stay away from drugs and to make plans to
succeed.

"Don't set limitations for yourself, set goals," Boswell said. "There is a
wealth of talent and success sitting right here."

Suzanne Nix, coordinator of the week's activities and director of the
school's mental health department, said students are excited about the red
ribbon campaign.

"It's gone over really well," Nix said. "I hope they gain some knowledge
about the negative effects of drugs and an appreciation for each other."
Red Ribbon Week ends today with Say Boo to Drugs day at the school.

Other activities for the week included a "red ribbon" meal in the
cafeteria, an essay and poster contest, daily announcements about the red
ribbon campaign and facts about drugs from the broadcasting class.