“Is it really worth it?” was the slogan of this year’s Red Ribbon Day. The day featured visits to classes by PALs who told students facts and figures about the number of teen deaths due to alcohol and drugs. They also educated students about the different ways to say no when people offered the substances to them. The PALs then quizzed students on the knowledge giving out wristbands, ribbons, and temporary tattoos promoting Red Ribbon Day to those who got the questions correct.

Red Ribbon Day also featured a lunchtime activity in front of the PAC, which was also put on by the PALs. A booth was set up where students could learn about the dangers of drug and alcohol use as well as sign a slip of paper pledging to be drug and alcohol free. These slips were then taken and linked together to build a chain that eventually stretched around their booth.

When focusing on the harsh realities of alcohol abuse, it is easy to become negative about the topic. For this reason, PALs advisor and councilor Ann Nebolon said, “We always try to have a positive spin on it, not like ‘You’re bad because you’re drinking alcohol’, but more like how you can make better choices for yourself or if something happens what do you do, how you can say no, those kinds of things.”

Reception to this year’s Red Ribbon Day has been positive amongst teachers as well. “They did a good job giving some excuses not to drink like blame the parents, talk about how their parents would breathalyze them if they went home, that they have to work the next morning,” said ASB and Video and Film teacher, Rod Keillor. “I thought it was really good practical things that they focused on.”

Senior PAL Jacquelyn Teza said, “I thought it was pretty successful. I think the way that we targeted it, we made it more about what to do and alcohol poisoning, so it wasn’t just like ‘don’t do drugs’ because sometimes kids don’t respond very well to that. We took a different approach and I feel like we got through.”