Each year, we celebrate Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon Week is celebrated from around October 24-38. This week, students put red ribbons around the school to symbolize that doing drugs and alcohol is not healthy and not the right choice to make. 

Making good choices is taught through all the Lower, Middle, and Upper School years. In Lower School, students had skills class. Now, in Middle School, students have a health and adolescence class they take during block period physical education. 

In this health and adolescence class, students learn how to grow up in a safe and healthy way. 

In the Lower School, students learn how to stand up for themselves and others in certain situations. Students in the Middle School learn how to deal with peer pressure and how to react to it from an early age. 

Many students agree and like the idea of having Red Ribbon Week. Students like that they can help people with these ribbons throughout the Middle School. 

“I think the importance of Red Ribbon Week is to spread awareness of not using drugs and alcohol,” says sixth-grader Briella Thomas. 

Talking about drugs and alcohol is very important, but students throughout the Lower and Middle School are also seeing these ribbons around the school give them a reminder of this serious topic. These ribbons symbolize how it is not the right choice. 

“I love teaching PE and health because I think it is so important that kids move around and build a healthy lifestyle,” says Lower School physical education teacher, Coach Bailey. 

Throughout the Lower, Middle, and Upper school, there are teachers that are also there at any time to help. In the Middle School, Mrs. Rankine and Mrs. Poncy are people that students can trust.

Many adults and students go down the wrong path and end up using drugs and alcohol. Many teachers, parents, and friends are here to talk with students and even adults. Eighth-grade science teacher, Mrs. Schnurr is also someone students can talk to. 

“If I can say one thing to someone who is using, it would be that people care about you and there is help,” says Mrs. Schnurr. 

Red Ribbon Week is a very important tradition to the Benjamin School.This week spreads awareness about how serious this topic really is. There is always someone that is here to help, whether it is your friends, teachers, or parents.