On Friday Oct. 25 at 8:15 a.m., the students and staff of Olson Middle School participated in a walk out. No panic necessary, this walk out was for a good cause.
The entire OMS student body took a stand against drugs by participating in “Walk Out on Drugs.”
The event is a part of the district’s Red Ribbon Week, a time when the schools encourage students to recognize how harmful drugs and alcohol can be to their future. The district is hopeful that by starting drug education at a young age, they can better prevent future drug use.
“Studies have shown that children are interacting and experimenting with drugs at a younger age. That by the time they’ve reached the high school level, they already may have some relationship with drugs, so we wanted to start anti-drug programs and education as early as possible,” superintendent George Rafferty said.
The Red Ribbon movement began in 1985, after Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique Camarena was tortured and killed while on duty. According to the National Family Partnership, the national sponsor of Red Ribbon Week, parents and young people in communities across the country began wearing Red Ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raise awareness of the killing and destruction caused by drugs in America. President Obama declared October to be National Substance Abuse Prevention Month in 2011, and again in 2012 and 2013.
The students walked through a sign that states their pledge to “keep our paws off drugs.” Students also received an anti-drug water bottle gift set that was purchased through the Tabernacle Municipal Alliance Fund. After the sign was obliterated by the stampede, students completed a loop of the school property before returning to class. The walk itself was a new addition to the district’s Red Ribbon Week curriculum.
“Our counseling staff has been great about coming up with new ways to teach the students and spread the message about the dangers of drug use,” OMS staff member Judy Endt said. “This is the first year we’ve done the walk but Red Ribbon Week has been a part of the school for a while now.”
Rafferty said that teachers and other OMS staff are constantly thinking of new and creative ways to reach the students. The walk is just another example of those ideas coming to life.
“We’re always interested in trying new things to better the education of our students, whether in the classroom or out of it,” Rafferty said. “This is the first year of the walk, but it’s something we’ll look to do again in the future if we find it worthwhile.”
