In observance of Red Ribbon Week, Oct. 19-23, students at Belington Middle School responded to the theme "We CAN Say No to Drugs" and donated canned food items to Heart and Hand for use in the community.
The activity was sponsored by the RAZE Crew at BMS. RAZE is a crew of students who are actively engaged in reducing teen tobacco use. The program is West Virginia's youth anti-tobacco initiative.
Heart and Hand arrived at school Oct. 23 to receive the donations. Brandon Shahan, an eighth-grade student, was on hand to assist the Heart and Hand representatives.
Throughout the week, students participated in various themes focusing on alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention. The donation on Oct. 23 was part of the day's activities which also included team lessons, an assembly activity called 1 in 5, a "Slam Dunk Drugs for Junk" basketball shoot-out and a "We Band Against Drugs" dance.
The student body also participated in the 1 in 5 activity and learned that one in five people in West Virginia will die from tobacco this year. They learned that because of the nicotine in tobacco, it is considered a drug and is addictive. The health problems related to tobacco use are significant. Even second-hand smoke is dangerous to one's health. It is estimated that second-hand smoke kills about 3,000 non-smokers each year.
RAZE at BMS is led by Sandy Lantz, RAZE adult adviser, and is assisted by Kathy Schoonover. The RAZE Crew is made up of students in grades sixth through eighth.
