RICHARDSON, Texas–ILTexas schools wore red and hosted themed days in honor of Red Ribbon Week. The week is part of a national campaign observed annually in October to encourage students to abstain from drug use and support drug and alcohol-free environments for youth. 

At ILTexas Windmill Lakes K-8, students dressed in jerseys to “team up against drugs” while students at ILTexas Grand Prairie K-8 wore caps to “put a cap on drugs” for their Red Ribbon Week themes.  

Sharon Singletary, a counselor for 6-8th grade students at ILTexas Windmill Lakes K-8, hopes students understand the harmful effects of drugs and why they should be avoided.

“Social media and environmental elements play roles in representing certain behaviors as acceptable and ‘cool,’” she said. “We must make sure that students are aware of the dangers of using drugs and how they can affect them both physically and mentally.”

Red Ribbon Week honors Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, a United States Marine Corps officer and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agent who was kidnapped and murdered while trying to expose a drug trafficking operation in Mexico in 1985. Afterwards, residents of Camarena’s hometown in California wore red ribbons to honor the slain agent and advocate against drug violence, and in 1988 it became a nation-wide campaign.

The 2022 Red Ribbon Week campaign takes place October 24-31. 

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