Red Ribbon Week is celebrated across the country in the month of October for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug and violence prevention awareness. West Orange High School (WOHS) celebrated this campaign the week of October 22-26. Each day of the week honored a different theme.

On Monday, students wore their class colors, with freshmen being green, sophomores being red, juniors in blue, and seniors in their jerseys. Tuesday was twin day and Wednesday students wore orange for unity-day. Thursday was pajama day and Friday was superhero day.

Then from October 29-31 Monday will be “Sock it to Drugs Day.” Tuesday will be Wear Red Day and on Wednesday students will participate in a drug prevention lunch activity.

 Jaclyn Headlam and Amedeo Chirichiello who are SAC’s (student assistant counselors) at WOHS play a big part in the planning and educating of red ribbon week. Headlam stated, “As SAC’s, we provide education and information for drug prevention. We understand that there are students that have experimented or have known people like family members or friends that have tried drugs. However, we are here to teach about the consequences of them and how to prevent others from trying.”

Both agree that Red Ribbon Week is an effective way to spread drug prevention awareness. They attempt to get the students involved by sponsoring two contests in which students can win by submitting artwork or literature depicting the drug free lifestyle. Along with this, they also bring in guest speaker Reggie Miller to speak to the 10th graders. Miller is a dynamic motivational speaker who travels the country sharing his story and inspiring others.

When asked about why they chose the 10th graders Chirichiello responded by saying, “We have different activities for the grades. We feel that 9th and 10th graders are more on the edge and are more likely to experiment. It is a proactive attempt to teach them the consequences. However, we also want them to learn about rewards for doing the right things.”

Overall, the main goal of red ribbon week is to increase awareness on drug abuse and provide resources for families that are struggling with the addiction. Ms. Headlam Mr. Chirichiello are always available to talk and you can always count on them to help you if you are seeking advice