Camp Zama kicks off Red Ribbon Week as students take pledge to be drug free | Article

CAMP ZAMA, Japan – Zama Middle High School kicked off its anti-drug campaign here Monday with a ribbon cutting and pledge, while local organizations gave students tips for a healthy lifestyle.

Celebrated each year, Red Ribbon Week is the country's largest and longest-running drug prevention campaign and has reached millions of people around the world.

Principal James Rippard, with the help of students, cut ribbons in the school auditorium during lunchtime to mark the start of the celebrations.

“During Red Ribbon Week we will learn the importance of preventing underage alcohol and tobacco use,” he told the audience. “We will also discuss the dangers of misusing prescription medications as well as the dangers of using all illegal medications.”

The campaign began in 1985 after the murder of Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a drug enforcement agent whom drug traffickers in Mexico tortured and killed earlier that year. The death sparked outrage among parents and teenagers across the country, who began wearing red ribbons to draw attention to the destruction that drugs are wreaking in America.

This year's theme – “Life is a movie, a drug-free movie” – reminds students that they are directors of their own lives and that choosing to remain drug-free can lead to a promising future.

Rippard said every student has goals in life and that they should avoid harmful behaviors that prevent them from achieving them.

“I want you to be selfish in this goal and in this dream and not let anything stop you,” he told the students. “So be selfish and say no to alcohol and no to drugs.”

As students entered the auditorium, they received gifts and information about drug-free living at tables sponsored by the Army Substance Abuse Program (ASAP), Army Community Service and Child and Youth Services.

There was also a large printout of the Drug Free Pledge on one of the tables, which students read and signed.

Evelyn Baulsir, a sixth-grader, signed the pledge and was also one of the students who helped cut the ribbon during the first lunch break.

“This is important because when you sign it, you promise to be drug-free for the rest of your life,” she said.

Baulsir said students should also not allow their friends to do drugs so that they can have a bright future.

“If your friend is using drugs, you can tell him to stop,” she said. “You don’t want them to get hurt. It’s possible they’ll listen to you and stop.”

Roman Fennessey, an eighth-grader, also signed the pledge, saying he and other students can live a healthy lifestyle by not using drugs, exercising and eating nutritious food.

“I think it's always great for people to do what promises to be the best they can be,” he said.

Maria Ortiz, ASAP risk reduction program coordinator, said a positive lifestyle can include visiting other places.

“For me, traveling works,” she said. “It allows me to explore more and get to know another language and culture.”

She suggested that students become more involved in their classwork to stay on track.

“When you focus on class, you really don't have time to do bad things outside,” she said. “You really focus on what you want to do in the future.”

Ortiz said parents can also be involved to help their children understand the consequences of their actions.

“As a parent, I allow my daughter to make her own decisions based on what I teach her about what is good and what is not,” she said.

The community will host other activities for youth during the week-long celebration, which ends this Friday, including a fashion show at the School Age Center and a painting contest at Arnn Elementary School.

Soldiers from the 901st Military Working Dog Detachment also plan to demonstrate their dogs' anti-drug skills to Zama students on Friday.

Ortiz hopes the events will encourage youth to think more about what kind of life they want to lead.

“You can definitely be your own star, but it depends on how much effort you put in,” she said. “We really want to try to help them make good decisions.”

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