Red Ribbon Week at Cedar Ridge Elementary inspires students to dream big
Last week, you may have seen Cache County students sporting funky hair, pajamas, crazy socks, or proudly wearing red in honor of Red Ribbon Week, which encourages students to avoid substance use and addiction. Students of all grade levels at CCSD participate in Red Ribbon Week and, at many schools, each day of Red Ribbon Week has a different theme. For example, North Cache Middle School students adorned themselves in wild hair and crazy socks to go with the themed day: “I’m crazy about traveling drug-free.” At Green Canyon High School, students were encouraged to wear superhero logos and apparel for the theme “Be a hero, don’t do drugs.” The national Red Ribbon theme for this year is “Life is your journey, travel drug-free.”
Students at Cedar Ridge Elementary celebrated Red Ribbon Week, in part, by pledging to live drug-free. The words “Cedar Ridge is Drug-Free” were written in big letters across the school playground and students took turns using sidewalk chalk to sign their names next to the statement. By signing the pledge, students committed to staying away from drugs not just for now, but forever. “This week helps students build a mindset and expectation of living drug-free," explained Amy Bassett, principal of Cedar Ridge Elementary. "They know being drug-free is something that we expect of them."
A point of emphasis during Cedar Ridge's Red Ribbon Week was that living a drug-free lifestyle provides opportunities for students to dream big. And boy, do the 6th graders at Cedar Ridge have big life goals! When asked what they wanted to be when they grow up, their answers ranged from “a veterinarian” to “an anesthesiologist” to “a lego designer.” With such big goals in mind, living drug-free is a must. Zaydryn, a future race car driver, says that the fun activities in association with Red Ribbon Week, such as crazy sock day, show him that “Life is fun without drugs.” Addison, a future artist, explains that she is “grateful to learn at a young age not to do drugs,” and hopes to use this knowledge to help other people who may be struggling with drugs. Charlotte, a future engineer, adds that if she were ever faced with a situation where drugs were involved, she would “just say no and walk away.” The principles taught during this week help students to understand the consequences of illegal drug use, as well as to learn refusal skills if they ever find themselves in a tricky situation. Although signing the pledge on the sidewalk to live life drug-free may be a small act, the decision students make as they sign it is a big one.
Choosing to stay drug-free will not only influence students now but will also impact them as they embark on their journey through life. Principal Bassett believes it's important to continue observing Red Ribbon Week because it brings awareness to a real, challenging issue. This awareness can help students understand how living a drug-free lifestyle can help them achieve their goals and become the people they want to be. With such high-achieving destinations in mind, our students are on the right track to travel through their life's journey and accomplish great things, not only in our district but in our world.