Maple Avenue Middle School Red Ribbon Week

Below, you will find the true story of Enrique Camarena and how Red Ribbon Week came about.  We encourage you to share his story.

The following is a list of activities for the week that we would like you to bring attention to for your students to participate in.

·        We would like to encourage staff to wear the red ribbon throughout the week in honor of Enrique Camarena as his friends and community have done and are doing this week.

Monday, October 25^rd – Announcement will be made to kick-off the week about what this week symbolizes.  Huge red banners adorn each House that the students can read and receive messages from.  A penny-drive will be held all week for students to contribute. Message being “Drugs Don’t make Cents!” (Sense) A container will be located in the Lunch Rooms, each of the Houses and the Main Lobby.  All monies collected will be donated to a local charity. (Courtesy of DARE CAMP graduates, SADD and Lunch groups)

Tuesday, October 26^th – Red Carnations will be sold in the lunchroom for $1.00. Students could present the carnation to someone they care about and keep them safe from illegal drugs. (Courtesy of the Lunch groups)

Wednesday, October 27^th – Wear something red for RED DAY at Maple. This will symbolize our commitment to be drug free.

Thursday, October 28^th – Carnations will be sold again.

Friday, October 29^th – Tootsie rolls to be handed out at the end of 9^th period to students by classroom teacher. Message being: “Be a good “roll” model”.

** Thank you to Ms. Jeanne Daley, Community Specialist for Maple, for helping us bring attention to this week. Thank you to all the volunteers from the Character Ed. Committee/Bullying Prevention for spreading the good message and helping out to coordinate the activities.

Enrique "kiki" Camarena grew up in a dirt-floored house with hopes and dreams of making a difference.

Camarena worked his way through college, served in the Marines and became a police officer. When he decided to join the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, his mother tried to talk him out of it. "I can't not do this," he told her. "I'm only one person, but I want to make a difference."

The DEA sent Camarena to work undercover in Mexico investigating a major drug cartel believed to include officers in the Mexican army, police and government. On Feb. 7, 1985, the 37-year old Camarena left his office to meet his wife for lunch. Five men appeared at the agent's side and shoved him in a car. One month later, Camarena's body was found in a shallow grave. He had been tortured to death.

In honor of Camarena's memory and his battle against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to wear red badges of satin. Parents, sick of the destruction of alcohol and other drugs, had begun forming coalitions. Some of these new coalitions took Camarena as their model and embraced his belief that one person can make a difference. These coalitions also adopted the symbol of Camarena's memory, the red ribbon.

The National Family Partnership organized the first Nationwide Red Ribbon Campaign in 1988. Since that time, the campaign has reached millions of U.S. children.

IN 1997, the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse began committing resources to ensure the continuation of the Red Ribbon Campaign in Texas, as well as the hopes and beliefs behind this grassroots effort to protect children from the dangers of alcohol and other drugs.