Schools promote drug awareness in Red Ribbon Week

Going back to fourth or fifth grade, Lynette Crasco remembers Red Ribbon Week as one of her favorite times of the school year. The girl who loved bright colors, remembered feeling a certain sense of empowerment from sporting the red ribbon.

"I put on the ribbon, and I was like, 'yes, I'm going to be a drug-free person,'" said Crasco, now a second-grade teacher at Lincoln-McKinley Primary School. "I didn't know exactly which drugs they we're, but I knew that was something that wasn't safe for me, I knew it was going to be bad."

Each year during the last full week of October, National Red Ribbon Week honors the memory of DEA Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, who in 1985 was abducted and later tortured to death by drug traffickers. Since 1988, the last full week of October has been set aside to both honor his memory and educate others about the dangers of drugs.

Since she started working at Lincoln-McKinley nine years ago, Crasco has sat on the school's committee on Red Ribbon Week, tasked with coming up with activities and themed dress days. This year those include a visit from anti-crime cartoon mascot, Scruff McGruff, and an officer from the Havre Police Department. Later this week, a U.S. Border Patrol agent will speak. Students were given red ribbons provided by the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, along with red fruit rollups and glow sticks paid for by the parent-teacher organization.

There will be a series of themed dress days throughout the week.

Monday, they wore sunglasses and neon colors to say, "my future's so bright there is no end in sight." Tuesday, they proclaimed themselves "Drug free from head to toe" by sporting wild hairstyles and colorful socks.

Today, they will wear a color chosen by their respective classes, after having come up with both a team name and animal for themselves.

The week will they wrap up with students wearing workout clothes because "being drug free is no sweat" and on Friday, students will get the chance to wear their Halloween costumes after lunch, where they will receive tips on safety for trick or treating.

Sunnyside Intermediate School, along with Havre middle and high schools also observe Red Ribbon Week with their own activities.

For many of the second- and third-graders, this is the first time someone has talked to them about drugs in great detail, and Holly Bitz, principal at Lincoln-McKinley, said it is at this young age is the best time to instill in these youngsters the value of abstaining from drugs and other at-risk behavior before they are convinced otherwise by more negative influences.

"I think it's so important to start at a young age so they know what good choices are and what bad choices are, so they can keep their bodies and minds healthy, said Bitz.

Based on the reactions of the students, those efforts seem at least in the short term to be bearing fruit.

When asked why they shouldn't do drugs, youngsters such as third-grader Nate Motichka offer some stark but simple responses.

"Because people can get in wrecks and people can get killed," he said.