RED RIBBON WEEK AHEAD

                                             

Dear Saint John’s School Families,

One week every year, students and staff at Saint John’s School celebrate a special week that is dedicated to drug and alcohol awareness.  Next week is our week to make RED important to us.  Why RED?  The National Family Partnership organized the first RED RIBBON Campaign in 1988.  Since that time, the campaign has reached millions of U. S. children.

Enrique “Kiki” Camarena grew up in a dirt-floored house with hopes and dreams of making a difference.  Camarena worked his way through college, served in the marines and became a police officer.    

When he decided to join the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, his mother tried to talk him out of it.  “I can’t NOT do this, “ he told her.  “I’m only one person, but I want to make a difference.”   The DEA sent Camarena  to work undercover in Mexico investigating a major drug cartel believed to include officers in the Mexican army, police and government. On February 7, l985, the 37-year-old Camarena left his office to meet his wife for lunch.  Five men appeared at the agent’s side and shoved him in a car.  One month later, Camarena’s body was found in a shallow grave.  He had been tortured to death. 

In honor of Camarena’ s memory and his battle against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to wear red badges of satin.  Parents, sick of the destruction of alcohol and other drugs, had begun forming coalitions.  Some of these new coalitions took Camarena as their model and embraced his belief that one person can make a difference.  These coalitions also adopted the symbol of Camarena’s memory, the RED RIBBON. 

Thank You Ella Kaiser, our PTO president, and Cheryl Brown for planning this RED RIBBON WEEK for us.  Something special will happen each day.  RED candy for Monday, stickers on Tuesday, on Wednesday Officer Marchio will talk to our students and they will then receive a bookmark with commitment to sign it.  Middle school students will decorate and wear white shirts that they will decorate with Red markers.

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Shalom,

Mrs. Schmitt