Libby Elementary School celebrates Red Ribbon Week
Libby High School student Ashley Cockerham hands a goodie bag to an elementary school student Friday, Nov. 3, during Red Ribbon Week. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
Libby Elementary School kept it fun and educational last week as it hosted Red Ribbon Week events.
According to information from Brittany Katzer, current elementary school counselor and behavior interventionist, the Red Ribbon Campaign® is the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation, reaching millions of young people during Red Ribbon Week.
It is an ideal way for people and communities to unite and take a visible stand against drugs.
Children of parents who talk to their teens regularly about drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs than those who don’t. Yet, only a quarter of teens report having these conversations.
Red Ribbon Week is a week set aside to celebrate a drug free lifestyle and to encourage young people to make smart decisions and be healthy.
This year's theme for Red Ribbon Week is “Be Kind to Your MInd.” Students participated in participate in various presentations and activities designed to promote mental health and wellness and to develop healthy coping strategies.
"We focused on ways we can protect our brains and stay healthy, well, and drug free," Katzer said.
Throughout the week students heard helpful announcements, decorated grocery bags to be used at Rosauers, participated in classroom door decorating contests, engaged in daily dress up themes and enjoyed presentations from the high school Logger Leadership students and community guest speakers.
The Logger Leadership students gave elementary pupils goodie bags on Friday and judged the door decorating contest. Kassie Keller's third-grade class was judged to be the best decorated door.
Here are the winners of the door decorating class:
Pirates-Kindergarten - Ms. Combs
Pac-Man-Fourth grade - Mr. Flores
Big Red-First grade - Mrs. Farmer
Bats-Second grade - Mrs. Boehmler
Hocus Pocus-Third grade - Mrs. Keller
Graves-Fifth grade - Ms. Berry
Minions-Sixth grade - Mrs. Hannah
Guest speakers, including Unite for Youth Coalition's Maggie Anderson and Justin Boudreau of SEEDS talked about medicine safety.