BROCKWAY, Pa. (EYT) – Red Ribbon Week is one of the oldest drug prevention programs in the country, and students and teachers at Brockway Area Elementary School added another aspect: being healthy.
(PHOTO: Brockway Elementary School teachers dance during the Red Ribbon Week assembly. Photo by Shay French).
While the main focus on Red Ribbon Week nationwide is to raise awareness of drug prevention, younger students also need a reminder to be active and make positive life choices.
For Brockway Elementary, the themes of the days included wearing red to promote health, wearing sports team apparel to encourage active lifestyles, cowboy clothes to “giddy up and move,” workout gear to support exercise, and, finally, wearing Halloween costumes to say that bad choices will not haunt one’s life.
“The RRW assembly was something that Brockway has done since before I arrived here,” Elementary School Counselor Kristen Sholes said. “Each year, my goal is to teach the students about making good, healthy choices for their body, mind, and education. I also want them to have healthy relationships with their friends: relationships that promote kindness, empathy, and understanding.”
To keep it interesting, the school created a “flash mob” on cowboy day during an assembly. Teachers got up and did a line dance, surprising the students.
The students also got a chance to be actively involved.
“The teachers received sneaker print outs for each student,” Sholes said. “They had the students write down or draw a picture of them doing something healthy. They then hang the sneaker up in the hallway. We are seeing how long the sneaker chain will travel throughout our school!”
Elementary Teacher Ben Donlin dances at Red Ribbon Week.
The dance and assembly were a fun time for students, and many teachers participated. Brockway ended the week with its usual Halloween parade and assembly.
Sholes said that she understands that the main goal of the week is to promote anti-drug attitudes, but the age of the students makes that difficult. Since drug use is unhealthy, this is an opportunity to help students focus on health and well-being.
“I don’t want to diminish the importance of drug prevention, but I like to shift the focus to healthy choices because it encompasses a little bit more that relates to elementary-aged students,” Sholes said. “I hope that the kids learn to make good choices, realize that they have the ability to make these choices, and grow up to be healthy, happy adults that care about themselves and their community.”
Copyright © 2024 EYT Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of the contents of this service without the express written consent of EYT Media Group, Inc. is expressly prohibited.
