Bighorn hosts Red Ribbon Week

It’s not everyday that high school students have an excuse to get out of the classroom and help each other navigate through a low ropes course, a mine-field full of mouse-traps, and even climb through a tractor tire eight feet off of the ground, but that’s exactly what Plains High School students did this year as they celebrated Red Ribbon Week at Camp Bighorn.

“It’s really to get the kids out of their comfort zones so they have to rely on one another to make choices for the good of the whole group,” Betty Taylor, high school counselor and Red Ribbon Week coordinator, said of the week’s festivities. “I guess my goal is simply that, for Red Ribbon Week that the kids won’t roll their eyes, and go, ‘not again,’ but to look forward to whatever it is that we’ve got programmed for them to help raise the awareness and education of not abusing drugs and alcohol and tobacco.”

Every year schools across the country celebrate Red Ribbon Week to commemorate the loss of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, who was tortured and killed by drug traffickers in Mexico while fighting against the importation of illegal drugs into the United States.

Last week Plains students from grades eight through 12, each spent one day at bighorn participating in activities and initiatives centered around good decision making, teamwork and trust building in order to promote a sober and healthy lifestyle.

“It was pretty challenging,” Taylor said of the activities. “They had to depend on one another, they had to coach each other through it, so we got lots of great stuff with the kids interaction working in teams, and it goes along with our school policy on drugs and alcohol.”

“They found that their classmates have attributes that maybe their classmates didn’t even realize that are able to solve a scenario when no one else could think of it, somebody they least expected could, did,” Taylor explained.

Although Plains schools are not required by the district to celebrate Red Ribbon week, they are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to address the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

The field-trip itself, which was planned by Taylor and the Jobs for Montana Graduates Class required much more planning and money than a typical assembly.

“We think it’s worthwhile,” Plains High School Principal Larry McDonald said. “We wanted them to develop, in the activities at Camp Bighorn, to trust in themselves, trust in each other and let them see that the behavior that they have, their actions, also impacts other people.”

“Those activities out there are really designed to help teach that,” he said. “I have to hold up my end of the bargain. I’ve got to hold up my responsibility to the group and that’s good for me, it’s good for everybody.”

Traditionally, Red Ribbon Week activities include assemblies, guest speakers as well as fun exercises demonstrating that drugs and alcohol aren’t necessary for students to experience enjoyment with their friends and classmates.

“This was something different,” McDonald said. “I feel strongly that most of the kids, especially high school, but I’m sure even the younger ones, know that alcohol and drugs are not good for them. They know it’s illegal, they know of the bad effects on health and on their behavior. We’ve gone over that for years so they know that in their minds, but what we wanted was not to do the same thing again, because you hear the same thing again and again and you just tune it out.”

Although, this is the first year students have left the high school campus, due to logistical and financial concerns, staff from Camp Bighorn have been involved in activities at the high school in recent years.

According to Taylor, donations from CADA (citizens against drug and alcohol abuse), the Plains Booster Club, and the Women’s Club supplemented the school’s limited drug and alcohol budget, which was exhausted during the venture.

To follow up on the experience students will be writing reflective essays exploring what they learned in their English classes in the coming weeks.

“Teachers are assigning that encouraging them to do something worthwhile instead of, ‘this really sucked’ or ‘it was fun.’ That’s not what we’re after. How did it impact you? Or what did you learn from this? We’re hoping it’s a good tool,” McDonald said.

Feedback from the essays will also be given to Camp staff and be used to determine if this event will be an annual event and will decide if fundraising for future trips will be necessary.

The jury may still be out on the long-term impact of the week’s events, but the initial reponse has been positive.

“We even had some of the teachers say, this is some of the most fun we’ve had with kids in a long time,” McDonald said.