Spring Branch ISD students participate in Red Ribbon Week

Spring Branch ISD students participated in Red Ribbon Week activities from Tuesday to Wednesday, Oct. 23-31.

Red Ribbon Week is celebrated across the city and country and is the nation's oldest and largest drug and alcohol prevention program of its kind. It began after drug traffickers killed DEA agent Kiki Camarena in Mexico City. Red ribbons are put on display as a symbol of intolerance toward drug use.

In schools, parent and educator training and support help to keep the campaign alive.

Students at Rummel Creek Elementary School participated in daily activities that included wearing shirts inside-out, wearing crazy hats or hair and wearing neon colored clothing.

Students at Westwood Elementary School attended a Red Ribbon Rally at City Hall on Thursday, Oct. 25.

A total of 19 student members of the campus K-SHAC group and President's Club took part in activities that were held from 9 a.m. until early afternoon during the week. Activities at City Hall included working on an anti-drug city ordinance for youth and listening to a presentation by U.S. Olympic welterweight boxers Mark and Steven Lopez.

"This was a life-changing event for all of our students because they were given a voice that was heard by government officials," K-SHAC sponsor and health fitness instructor Samuel Karnes said in a press release. "This took weeks of prior planning where our students worked on city ordinances at school and then saw them brought to real life at City Hall."