Be There: MCSD celebrates Red Ribbon Week

COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) - This week, schools across the nation are celebrating Red Ribbon Week, an anti-drug campaign geared towards keeping kids drug free.

Rainbow hair, mix-match socks and royal blue locks are just some of the Crazy Hair and Wacky Sock Day items students, teachers and staff wore Wednesday at Midland Academy.

"That means you should be drug free from your head to your toes...and that you should not do drugs because they are really bad for you," explained 5th grade student Breya Millison.

Millison and her fellow classmates are up to speed on the dangers of drugs thanks to Drug Abuse Resistance Education or D.A.R.E. program.

"It teaches me more on how drugs are really bad for your body," added 5th grade student Alexis Hearn.

Every day this week, students across the Muscogee County School District are participating in Red Ribbon Week. At Midland Academy, the PTA and Principal Janice Miley are pitching in to send a strong anti-drug message to students.

"This week was we can say no to drugs and this week we had kids bring in canned goods," said Tameaka Vanderhorst, PTA president. "It's for the local food bank, feeding the valley to encourage the kids they can be drug free and help somebody else who is less fortunate than them."

"So we're looking forward to all the canned goods coming in," Miley added. "We're trying to pitch that on our broadcast stream and to make sure that our students know what it means to be drug free."

Their message is clear: "Midland Cubs have better things to do than drugs, how about you?"

According to the nonprofit organization

, 70,000 police officers have taught the D.A.R.E. program to more than 200 million students worldwide since 1983, and 114 million in the United States alone.

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