Temple City High School participates in Red Ribbon Week every October to remind students to say no to drugs and alcohol. Unfortunately, Red Ribbon Week ends up being one more meaningless opportunity to play dress up. Not only is it shameful, but it is a missed instance to educate teenagers regarding the dangers that drugs and alcohol pose for our generation.
Red Ribbon Week’s origins are quite serious. It began after Drug Enforcement Administration Agent, Enrique Camarena, was kidnapped, tortured and murdered while on a case involving Mexican drug traffickers. After Camarena’s death, people pledged to remain drug-free in his honor by using ribbons as a symbol.
Someone dies trying to protect us from the danger of drug dealers and drugs, and what do we do? We, at TCHS, wear pajamas, dress like nerds and wear shades.
It’s not as though we are immune to the pain that drugs and alcohol inflict. Over the years, we have suffered the loss of several students, including a 17-year-old TCHS student who was killed in an alcohol-related car accident in 2005. After attending a party in Malibu, where she and three other friends consumed alcohol, their car went off the road and rolled down an embankment, throwing her out of the car and killing her.
Senseless tragedies such as these shock us for a time and then are forgotten, but we need to remember them. We need to stop dressing up in silly ways for a week pretending that we are immune and immortal. Red Ribbon Week is no laughing matter.
Handing out “YOLO: don’t waste it” wristbands won’t prevent students from drinking or doing drugs. Sure, the wristbands look cool, but picture the partier who chugs a beer or takes a hit saying, “Yeah, you only live once!” Without the right information, the meaning of the wristband is lost in translation.
According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America survey, 6.5 million teens, ranging from grades 9 through 12, admitted to drinking alcohol within the last month. Where did I get these statistics? Online, not from Red Ribbon Week; I did not learn a single fact about drugs or alcohol from our Red Ribbon Week.
It’s difficult to tell the difference between Fall Spirit Week and Red Ribbon Week, except that fewer people participate in the latter. If saying no to drugs and alcohol is a priority, as it should be, then it’s time to make some drastic changes.
During RAMS, make it mandatory for all students to watch a documentary about drugs and alcohol. Or include a statistic about the consequences of drugs and alcohol in the daily bulletin. Or have our teachers instruct a lesson on drugs or alcohol during the week.
Red Ribbon week is the opportunity of a lifetime for students, and if we don’t take advantage of it, we should be dreading the possibility of a drug-related funeral. Safety should be the focus of our Red Ribbon Week, not wearing pajamas to school for a day.