First Aid Squad member Tony Pellegrino helps a kindergarten student listen to her heart beat. SHREWSBURY — The Shrewsbury Community Alliance for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Abuse presented a week’s worth of activities to help students at Shrewsbury Borough School learn the anti-drug and alcohol message of national Red Ribbon Week.
Red Ribbon Week, Oct. 20 – 24, was established as a national drug awareness campaign in 1988 and was created to take a collective stand against underage use of alcohol, tobacco and all use of illegal drugs.
The focus of Red Ribbon Week is aimed at all audiences, but is particularly targeted toward elementary and middle school students.
Each year, the alliance and the Shrewsbury Borough School faculty and administration work together to provide students with activities that focus on their health, well-being, and being strong enough to say no to drugs and alcohol.
This year’s theme was “I Elect to Be Drug- and Alcohol-Free.” Throughout the week, students learned the importance of making healthy choices and the importance of being a good citizen, respecting themselves, their families, school, community and country.
Students compete during a game show assembly. Students in grades 6-8 wrote an essay in social studies class answering the questions: Why should I elect to be drug- and alcoholfree? and If I were elected president, what actions would I take to reduce drug and underage alcohol use in our country?
This year, in addition to red ribbons, giveaway items and daily morning public service announcements, the week included a series of dress-up days to reinforce the anti-drug use theme. Students wore their clothing inside out or backwards for “Don’t Let Drugs Turn You” day; their favorite sports team shirt for “Team Up Against Drugs” day and improvised zany hair styles for “Dare to be Different” day.
The kindergarten classes had a special treat when members of the Shrewsbury police force, fire department and first aid squad visited and explained how they help their community.
The culmination of this year’s Red RibbonWeek celebration was a school-wide assembly in the form of a game show. Students in each class competed against each other on questions related to both Red Ribbon Week curriculum and age-appropriate general pop culture. The game show format was an opportunity for students to have fun working together and enjoy good sportsmanship while reinforcing the week’s theme.
The alliance also sent home literature for parents to continue educating their children on the themes of Red Ribbon Week.
The Shrewsbury Community Alliance for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Abuse meets at Borough Hall on the second Monday of every month. The alliance is made up of representatives of the Shrewsbury Borough Council, the municipal court, Shrewsbury Borough School Board of Education, Shrewsbury Borough School faculty/ administration and the Shrewsbury Police Department.
For more information, call Karen Lloyd, chairwoman, at 732-450-9725.