According to getsmartaboutdrugs.gov, Red Ribbon Week is observed from Oct. 23 to Oct. 31 around the nation every year. Each day of the week has a different motto and outfit theme: Monday’s is “Being drug free is no sweat” where students wear sweatpants, Tuesday’s is “My future’s too bright for drugs” where students wear neon, and so on. 

Red Ribbon Week strives to bring awareness to drug use and substance abuse, nurse Beth Evans said in an interview. In addition, she said she has had students come in regarding their addiction. 

“We more talk about the health effects and long term effects of drug use and brain development,” Evans said. “And then also we talk about support options on how to get away from it.”

Exposing students to facts and posters can have a butterfly effect on their minds, Evans said. She added that she has had a student who has been trying to stop using drugs and the reason mentioned was the poster the student saw. 

While teachers are also on the front lines in terms of noticing addictions, some staff members notice early signs of drugs addiction more than others: “I am sure these are issues, vaping especially, but between my AP Biology and PreAP Biology classes over the years, I rarely ever have a student that has been in a situation at school dealing with drugs,” Biology teacher Moran Susan said in an email. 

Even for students who don’t use drugs, Evans said she thinks it is important that students have upfront conversations with their peers and talk to a trustworthy person like the nurse or counselor about their concerns. 

“Sometimes kids just get in with the wrong crowd, sometimes I think they start young because they think it’s cool,” Evans said. “But more recently I think with a lot of mental health issues and anxiety and things going on at home, kids use that to try to escape those feelings they don’t wanna feel so they do drugs instead to try to not think about it.”

Drugs make existing problems worse as students have two problems now: the problem they had to begin with and an addiction, which makes it longer to get through said problem, Evans said. When dealing with an issue, she advises students to turn to an adult or counselor instead of drugs.