DCSS Update: October 2016

Red Ribbon
REVOLUTION
Students from across the DCSS paraded
through Hugh Mills Stadium recently,
boldly declaring that they’ll stay drug free
Thousands of Dougherty County
School System students pledged
to remain drug free during the system’s
participation in the 2016 Red
Ribbon Week.
The nation’s oldest and largest
drug prevention program, Red Ribbon
Week has grown into a nationwide
event with millions of students
pledging to live drug free.
In Dougherty County, students
started a week of events with a kickoff
at Hugh Mills Stadium where
schools and students marched into
the stadium wearing all different
shades of red, clad in creative displays
of unity against drug use.
The event featured speaker Marvin
Laster from the Boys and Girls
Club, Dougherty County Board of
Education Member Reverend James
Bush and Lamar Reese Principal
Angela Shumate.
Red Ribbon Week started in
the mid 1980’s following the brutal
kidnapping and murder of a DEA
Agent in Mexico. Since that time,
the movement has grown into the
nation’s largest anti-drug campaign
focused around children.
In the DCSS, students and principals
participate in a wide range of
events designed to promote a
drug-free lifestyle for students.
And, according to a recent survey
by the National Institute on
Drug Abuse, the programs seem
to be working.
A June 2016 survey of 8th,
10th and 12th grade students called
“Monitoring the Future,” reported a
decrease in the number of students
who reported using alcohol, cigarettes
and illicit drugs with some
indicators at their lowest levels since
the inception of the survey.
In three major areas, the survey
notes decreases in drug use in the
following ways:
no increase in use of marijuana
among teens
decreasing use of synthetic
drugs
decreasing misuse of prescription
drugs.
The survey also noted, however,
a softening of views against
marijuana; a fact that likely comes
as more states within the U.S. seek
to legalize the drug for recreational
purposes.
To view more photos from Red
Ribbon Week, check the PictureIt!
section of the DCSS Update.
(Top) Students from Lamar Reese Elem
School march around the Hugh Mills S
track showing off the creative ways they ar
ing Red to kick of the System’s Red Ribbon
(Right) Westover HIgh students perform
kickoff. (Photo credit :Terry Lewis/The
H