Red Ribbon Week Wraps Up at Benjamin

On October 24 through 28, The Benjamin School celebrated Red Ribbon week. The program is a national drug awareness campaign, celebrated each year by the School. The program is an opportunity to encourage Benjamin students to live drug-free lives.

 

According to the Red Ribbon Campaign, children of parents who talk about the dangers of drugs are 42 percent less likely to use drugs than those whose parents don’t discuss the issue.

 

Benjamin Middle School students participated in a handful of events throughout the week. The highlight for most students was speaker Dr. Jonn McClellan ‘95. McClellan told a rapt audience of Middle School students how his life was nearly destroyed by drugs and alcohol. Students asked questions for close to twenty minutes, with almost every hand in the audience shooting up in hopes of getting their question answered.

 

Upper School students hosted a special assembly with a panel of experts who warned of the dangers of drugs and alcohol.    

 

“Make one bad decision and the game is over,” Florida Rep. Irv Slosberg, whose daughter Dori was killed in a driving accident, warned students. The panel discussed, among other issues, the top four causes of teen driving accidents: speeding, number of passengers, alcohol and distracted driving.

 

Middle school students capped off the week by wearing their Red Ribbon Week t-shirts.