Red Ribbon Week offers resources for students combating substance misuse

LACONIA — A 600-student ribbon formation appeared Thursday on the Laconia High School football practice field, marking a drug awareness initiative called Red Ribbon Week.

The program is a way for students to be educated about the dangers of drug use, and also be able to ask questions about themselves, friends or family members who may be tackling their own substance issues.

“I think any time we get an opportunity to talk to high school-aged kids in this critical time of their life is great,” said Interim Principal Mike Boyle. “If we can educate even some of them on the dangers of substance abuse, giving them the education they need, I think we are doing a great thing.”

Boyle said Jess Conrad, the Laconia School District student assistance counselor, is doing an “unbelievable” job speaking with students about their own personal issues with substances.

“This is a problem that starts at this age, so it is a critical time to get a message out,” Boyle said. “They not only have a trusted person, but a qualified person in that field with Mrs. Conrad. We are very fortunate to have her in the building for most of the week, and then she splits her time down in the middle school. It is a great resource for us to have.”

In the two years Boyle has been at LHS, he said there have not been many issues with student alcohol use. However, things like vaping are a nationwide issue, as vapes are easier to get their hands on.

“We do anything we can do to spread the message about the dangers of getting hooked on these substances,” Boyle said.

Conrad said both the middle and high schools have a club called Stand Up Sachems, focused on substance misuse and prevention, and mental health awareness. Red Ribbon Week is a time when students address these issues head on, using resource tables during lunch, where students answer their guess of the percentage of students who chose not to drink alcohol, as well as recommending positive activities to do other than drink or use drugs.

Answers she received from students were gathered to display at the schools. There was also a Stand Up Sachems sweatshirt giveaway. At the middle school, there were themed dress-up days to reinforce the message.

“To add some education into some fun is usually what we try to do,” Conrad said. “The middle school kids get into the dress up stuff and are really involved. I think the kids have been pretty engaged. The climate is tough right now with all the vaping,  and cannabis use is a big thing.”

Conrad said the goal is to get the message out to students about resources, and who to talk to about concerns regarding their substance use, or friends and family.

“We also want to make kids aware of my job here at school, that they can come to me as a safe space,” Conrad said.

Conrad said she works with students who are either at risk of substance use or students who are actively using substances. She has been with the district for 11 years, and said alcohol numbers appear to have improved, vaping has gotten worse due to access, and cannabis seems consistent.

“The vaping is an unknown that seems like it continues to be a problem,” Conrad said. “Cigarette use and other numbers for heavy things like prescription drugs are down. We will have to evaluate further when we get that 2025 data.”

The district has worked hard to include initiatives in the buildings to support their students. There are partnerships with Effective School Solutions and Lakes Region Mental Health Center, in an effort to get students the help and support they need.

“I have worked here long enough where I am known, so I am someone they can trust,” she said. “The building of trust is a big piece.”

While Red Ribbon Awareness Week is focused on drug and alcohol awareness, Stand Up Sachems focuses on a variety of subjects. Last week the focus was bullying, and next month there will be a National Quit Day for quitting vaping.

“There is usually something once a month that we focus on,” Conrad said.

Red Ribbon Awareness Week ran Oct. 23-31, and according to its website, is the largest drug-use prevention campaign in the country. It started in 1985, in response to the murder of Drug Enforcement Agency Agent Enrique Camarena, when parents and youth around the nation wore red ribbons to symbolize awareness of the turmoil drugs can cause.

The National Family Partnership sponsored the first National Red Ribbon Celebration in 1988, and since then, schools across the nation have been using the week for education and prevention activities.

For more information, log onto redribbon.org.