The Red Level High School Peer Helpers have been hard at work putting together their school’s Red Ribbon Week activities.

Ivy Griggs is one of the students who helped organize the event.

“I think drugs and alcohol are a big problem,” Griggs said. “I wanted to help reduce the problem by helping organize this event.”

Griggs also came up with all of the school’s dress-up days for Red Ribbon week this week.

Sydney Morrow worked along side Griggs in organizing Red Ribbon week.

“I think it’s important to know about the effects of alcohol and drug abuse,” Morrow said. “We hear stories about how drugs ruin lives and I wanted to help people to not make the same mistakes.”

Jasmine Walker has been closely affected by drug abuse and alcoholism, so Red Ribbon week is especially important to her.

“Being close to the problem has made me realize how much it can change somebody’s life,” Walker said. “It made me realize just how hard it is to actually get off of drugs and alcohol.”

The cheerleaders along with the Peer Helpers and faculty at Red Level helped decorate the hallways for Red Ribbon week.

“This was really a community effort,” School resource officer Michael Bishop said. “It was pretty great to see so many people come together for such a great cause.”

Bishop said that the Peer Helpers work hard to educate other people in the school about drug and alcohol abuse.

“When they sign up to be a Peer Helper, they know what they are getting into,” Bishop said. “One of the requirements of being a Peer Helper is signing a contract that you will not partake in drinking or doing drugs. They knew what being a Peer Helper entailed and they get out and help other students every day.”

Bishop said that he is proud of the students’ participation in this year’s Red Ribbon Week.

“They have had dress up days all this week that had a theme,” Bishop said. “Like today they dressed up as what they wanted their future to career to be. They then could realize that being drug free is the biggest way to meet those goals.”

Red Level also has professionals coming to talk to their students about drug and alcohol abuse throughout the week.

“I worked pretty hard to get some people to come and talk to the kids,” Bishop said. “We will have a big assembly on Tuesday (Oct. 30) and everyone will wear red. For the elementary school it will be more of a pep rally, but for the high school it will be more about learning, because it is more serious in high school.”

Monday the students dressed like a frat boy so they could “pledge to be drug free.” On Tuesday they dressed as a tacky tourist because “Life’s a journey, travel drug free.” Yesterday was career day where they dressed as their desired profession. Today they are wearing crazy socks so they can “Sock it to drugs;” and Friday is spirit day when they will “team up against drugs.

Since its beginning in 1985, the Red Ribbon Week has touched the lives of millions of people around the world. In response to the murder of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena, angered parents and youth in communities across the country began wearing Red Ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raise awareness of the killing and destruction cause by drugs in America.