Andersen Elementary School kicks off Red Ribbon Week

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  • By Andersen Elementary School
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam --  Andersen Elementary School will celebrate Red Ribbon Week Oct. 22 through 25, and each student will receive a red satin ribbon to wear all week.

Parents are asked to encourage their children to keep their ribbons as each day during Red Ribbon Week there will be an opportunity for students to win prizes if they are wearing their ribbons.

The Red Ribbon Campaign began after Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent, was killed by drug traffickers in 1985. Friends and neighbors wore red badges of satin in his honor to show they would continue his fight against illegal drugs. Since then, there has been a continuing tradition of wearing and displaying red ribbons as a symbol of intolerance towards the use of drugs. The main purpose of the Red Ribbon Campaign is to present a unified and visible commitment toward the creation of a drug-free America.

The AES theme for this year is "I've got better things to do than drugs." In keeping with this theme they are holding a poster contest. The pictures that win will be made into a calendar that will be distributed to all AES students. There will be two categories: kindergarten through second grade and third through fifth grade. Each will have a grand prize winner whose picture will be the cover of the calendar. Each category will also have 12 "monthly" winners whose art work will be displayed for the months of the calendar. All winners will win a prize package full of great this to do besides drugs. The quality of the art is not as important as the message of the picture. Below are the rules, happy drawing! 

- Posters must be created on a white 8.5" x 11" piece of paper
- Posters should reflect the theme, "I've got better things to do than drugs!"
- Any art supplies or materials can be used (no computer drawn pictures)
- All winners will have their art made into a calendar
- All entries are due to your child's homeroom teacher by Oct. 23
- Students must write their name, grade, and homeroom teacher on the back of the drawing

All prizes and calendars are sponsored by the 36th Medical Group Drug Demand Reduction Program.

Students are invited to dress up for the following themes each day of Red Ribbon Week. Students will receive a raffle ticket for each day they are dressed up for a chance to win a Red Ribbon Week prize. 

Date - Dress Up Theme
Oct. 22: Spirit Day - Red Ribbon Week kicks off (wear red)
Oct. 23: Don't Get Tied Up With Drugs! (wear ties)
Oct. 24: Follow Your Dreams! Don't Do Drugs! (wear pajamas)
Oct. 25: Turn Your Back on Drugs! (wear clothes backwards)
Oct. 26: No School for Students (staff trainings)

For more information about AES Red Ribbon Week, please contact one of the AES Counselors at 366-2181/2179/2177.