The week of October 24 – October 28 Peer Assisted Leadership and Advisor Ms. Sue Whitmire organized Red Ribbon Week for the students of MacArthur.  Red Ribbon Week was invented in 1980 throughout the world and began in 1990 here at MacArthur.  During Red Ribbon Week, 45 students in the Peer Assisted Leadership class and 35 of their families helped decorate the school with posters and ribbons.

According to Whitmire, Red Ribbon Week is an event that most schools do to teach students of a young age to avoid taking illegal drugs and to not abuse legal, or perscription, drugs.  

“Life can take you higher than drugs,” said eighth-grader Clarissa Naranjo, a PAL class member.

According to Whitmire, the whole student body participated in Red Ribbon Week.  Red Ribbon Week is a MacArthur tradition for the past 25 years.  PAL coordinated events for every day of the week.  

On October 23, parents and peer assistant leaders came to decorate the school with posters and ribbons.  The decorations were either donated or bought by Whitmire.  Each student received red wristbands that were given out on October 24 and were donated by Orange County Sheriff Department.

October 25, was Tombsday and during lunch students visited the graveyard of celebrities who died of drug-related causes.  For example, Prince died from the opioid Fentanyl.

“A friend in need, won’t let you smoke,” said seventh-grader Mario Jimenez, a PAL member.

On Thursday, PAL  hosted six different assemblies, where elective classes headed to the PAR for an assembly.  PAL decided to have 6 different sections instead of a school wide assembly because it was better for students to ask questions.  Students learned that hard drugs can ruin your life, drugs can be laced with harmful additives, and to avoid taking drugs because of peer pressure.

“I hope what everybody learned from that week was to not abuse legal drugs and never take any type of drugs,” said Whitmire