Twitter
Facebook
Students in the Ramstein school community celebrated Red Ribbon Week Oct. 23 to 31. This popular event commemorates the life and work of Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a DEA agent who was murdered by drug smugglers.
Ramstein High School and Ramstein Middle School youth worked with their Adolescent Substance Abuse Counseling Services counselors to honor this sacrifice by participating in numerous activities that reflect the primary focus of Red Ribbon Week – the idea that we can create and support a drug-free world.
At both schools, students and faculty alike signed a banner to demonstrate their personal pledges to remain drug-free. At the middle school, Red Ribbon Rangers assisted their fellow students by giving them red bracelets to wear as a visible symbol of their commitment.
Students at both schools also wrote essays with two themes from which to choose: “I wish you would stop” and “Take care of yourself. Take care of each other.”
Another very popular and educational activity at both schools was the RRW Question of the Day Contest. Along with ASACS, many Ramstein agencies and organizations provided prizes and volunteer support, including the Ramstein Officers’ Spouses Club, the Ramstein Enlisted Spouses’ Association, the Airman & Family Readiness Center and the Kaiserslautern Landstuhl Spouses’ Association.
Students feel enormous pressure to fit in with the popular crowd. All too often this leads to using alcohol or other drugs as a way of gaining acceptance.
One guiding principle behind all these Red Ribbon Week events is proving to teens that peer pressure can be a positive thing. By becoming active in this celebration they are doing more than saying “just say no to drugs.” They are telling themselves and each other they chose to “say yes to a healthy, happy and productive drug-free life.”
