Pubdate: Sun, 21 Oct 2001 Source: Huntsville Item (TX) Copyright: 2001 Huntsville Item and Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. Contact: http://www.itemonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1126 Author: Ashlye Hylton ANTI-DRUG CAMPAIGN LIFTS OFF Huntsville area schools will participate in the 2001 Walker County Red Ribbon Kick-off celebration at the Walker County Courthouse Gazebo Tuesday morning. Walker County Judge Janie Farris, Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, will open up the ceremony with a speech at 9 a.m. and student council members from several area schools will perform individual skits to promote the Americans United Against Drugs theme. "The students will do skits or they will perform a song or a poem," said Jayne Thurman, secretary to the assistant superintendent, and organizer of the event. According to Thurman over 160 students will be in attendance. "Channel 7 will be there and we've invited dignitaries from town to come and join us," she said. "We've had good turnouts in the past. This is an annual event that has been going on for at least ten years; the students take it very seriously," Thurman said. "I've been watching the weather on the news and it is supposed to be nice, so that always helps." Student council members from Stewart Elementary School in Huntsville will create a brick wall made from several individual bricks which will display inscriptions from students on each brick. "The student council members are really excited," said Connie Mathis, school counselor. "They've been working really hard," she said. In addition the school will have a red ribbon theme and event for each day this week. On Tuesday the students will host a balloon launch at the school, releasing over 100 red and white helium balloons. "We're going to attempt the balloon launch at 8:45 a.m. with the theme, 'Drugs Can't Keep Us Down,'" Mathis said. The events for red ribbon week will continue throughout the week at most of the Huntsville area schools. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth