Students learn to say 'no' to drugs
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Chandler Elementary counselor Harriet Becker looks at a book of animals with students, from left, Danielle Hajjar, 10, Chance McLeod, 11, and Cody Macha, 10. Every third Friday, students get to wear their favorite college T-shirt, which encourages them to attend college. Students also learned to stay away from drugs during the Red Ribbon Week.
JUST SAY 'NO'
In the "Adventures of Clark & Jimmy," a skit by Mid-Coast Family Services, the actors taught students four things to say when offered drugs:
No way!
I've got better things to do!
Is this a joke?
...- SHOW ALL »
JUST SAY 'NO'
In the "Adventures of Clark & Jimmy," a skit by Mid-Coast Family Services, the actors taught students four things to say when offered drugs:
No way!
I've got better things to do!
Is this a joke?
Smoking stinks!
RED RIBBON CAMPAIGN MISSION
The Red Ribbon Campaign was started when drug traffickers in Mexico City murdered DEA agent Kiki Camarena in 1985. This began the continuing tradition of displaying Red Ribbons as a symbol of intolerance towards the use of drugs. The mission of the Red Ribbon Campaign is to present a unified and visible commitment towards the creation of a drug-free America.
Students at Chandler Elementary learned to stay away from drugs during Red Ribbon Week in October.
"Drugs make you all coo-coo," said Kara Hill, 10. "If you don't take it, you won't get weird. Then you'll stay smarter and not get sick, so you can go to college."
Each day of the last week of October had a dress theme, such as inside-out day, cowboy-cowgirl day and black and orange day for Halloween.
Danielle Hajjar's favorite day of that week was the "We've Gone Crazy Against Drugs" day, where she got to dress crazy.
"I had these happy birthday glasses that were humongous," the fifth-grader said. "I took a head band and put it the wrong way and it made my hair go out. I didn't match my clothes and I wore two different shoes."
Dressing up for Red Ribbon Week lets students show their support for staying drug free, said school counselor Harriet Becker.
"It's not just 'I get to dress up crazy' day," Becker said. "It's 'this is a part of my life and I'm demonstrating it outwardly.' Anybody can do this. Not just the ones with good grades."
As part of the week's festivities, the school hosted a skit titled "The Adventures of Clark & Jimmy," performed by the Mid-Coast Family Services.
The skit showed different scenarios of students peer pressured to do drugs, and how students can respond to them.
Chance McLeod, 11, learned how peer pressure can influence kids to make wrong choices.
"I think they want to do it because they want to be cool, like the cool kids and stuff," Chance said. "They're in a group and they want to be cool, not like a nerd."
Then, when some get too involved in drugs, it may be hard to stop, said Cody Macha, another fifth-grader.
"Sometimes when they get addicted, they wish they never would have done it. And it's very hard to quit," Cody said.
Besides staying away from drugs, the school also motivates students to one day attend college.
On the third Friday of each month, Chandler Elementary invites students to wear their favorite college T-shirt and learn about different universities.
"A lot of times, they have to do research into that," Becker said. "They get to pick a university and then make a presentation. They do a lot at Victoria College. That's where they get to experience what college is all about."
At age 10, Abby Hendrix already has her eye on Texas Tech University.
"My dad used to be a football player for Texas Tech and most of my family went to Texas Tech," Abby said. "I want to go to college because then, in my future, I can get a good job and have a good life."
