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Middle school students participate in Red Ribbon awareness campaign

BY MEG HUELSMAN
DAILY RECORD

HOPATCONG -- Hopatcong Middle School participated in Red Ribbon drug awareness and anti-violence campaigns recently, including an outdoor rally where borough Police Chief John Swanson spoke to a crowd of students.

"With everyone wearing red and wearing sunglasses and bracelets, it's important for them to see how many kids are not doing drugs," Hopatcong Middle School resource officer Dave Schultz said, explaining that only a small number engage in such illegal activity.

During the week of Oct. 28, the entire staff and student body at the school focused on Red Ribbon Week activities and announced their pledges against drugs and violence.

Activities focused on student awareness of the various kinds of harm caused by substance abuse. Students wore red bracelets and red ribbons with anti-drug slogans. They also wore hats to symbolize protecting their brains from drugs and sunglasses to symbolize shading themselves from drugs.

"We have a Red Ribbon Week every year, but this year it really took off," Schultz said. "This was the first year where we really blew it up. Next year it should be even bigger."

Red Ribbon Week ended with a pep rally where the school's Peer to Peer group put on a skit about resisting drugs and the consequences of substance abuse. In one of the scenes, a student was deciding whether to say yes or no to drugs. One student dressed as a devil and another dressed as angel. The devil, of course, tried to persuade the student, but in the end the angel won and the student said no.

"We had this prevention week to teach students the importance of not getting into drugs and to succeed and deal with anxiety and pressures of teenage life," Vice Principal Lou Benfatti said. "I think that the whole week was a big success."

Swanson spoke about the criminal effects of drugs.

"It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop," Benfatti said about the students at the rally. "When the message comes from him, it's very motivating."

Students were reminded that Red Ribbon Week was the beginning of activities throughout the year discussing drug prevention and anti-violence talks.

"We were really excited with how everything turned out,"Schultz said. "My kids can't wait for next year. They already have bigger and better ideas."