Last week, from October 10-13, Portsmouth High School participated in Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon Week is an alcohol, tobacco, and other drug and violence prevention awareness campaign honored every year in October. It’s the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the country.

PHS has been participating in Red Ribbon Week for several years now. Ms. Elizabeth Key, a substance abuse professional, is the woman helping to organize and promote Red Ribbon Week at our school.  Ms. Key has used creative activities at our school to raise awareness about the impacts of drug and alcohol use. 

Students anonymously made “bricks” in TASC block to highlight the negative impacts of doing drugs and the positive ways to avoid drug use. Red bricks represented the negative impacts of doing drugs, and blue bricks represented the positive ways to avoid drug use. These bricks are displayed in the hallway in between the old and the new foyer at school. Also, students from the Wellness Group at PHS held signs as all of the students came in to school on ways to say no if you are feeling pressured into using drugs or alcohol. The teachers were given red ribbons to wear and behavioral checklists/adolescent problems’ list so that they help detect or notice a student that is struggling with substance abuse. An email out was sent to students with a link that informs them of potential negative impacts to vaping.