Leslie Fox Keyser Elementary School Students Celebrate Heroes Day at the End of Red Ribbon Week

According to Warren County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Henry Molina, October 30 was a day dedicated to building trust with students at Leslie Fox Keyser Elementary School. As a parade of first responders proceeded around the circular road in front of LFK, the students who were lined up along the drive cheered for their community heroes and perhaps saw themselves one day wearing one of those uniforms. For Molina, that is the point. Others like LFK Principal Jennifer Cameron, School Counselor Dani Pond, and Dean of Students Kaitlin Smoot, all of whom played roles in facilitating Red Ribbon Week with its climactic Heroes Day, joined Molina in the hope that the grand finale would provide a controlled setting for the children to develop a bond with role models who have forged a path that the next generation might follow.

Leslie Fox Keyser Elementary School students enjoyed a parade of first responders and the opportunity to interact with them. Photos Courtesy of Dani Pond

The week itself is part of a national movement, dedicated to putting children on a positive path that does not include violence or drugs. The oldest and largest drug and violence prevention awareness campaign in the U.S., Red Ribbon Week, was inspired by a tragedy. Dating back more than forty years, it began as a tribute to Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent who, after uncovering a multi-billion-dollar narcotics pipeline, was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by drug traffickers. Following his tragic death, citizens and high school students in his hometown of Calexico, California, began wearing red ribbons to honor his sacrifice and pledge to live drug-free lives. What started as a local show of respect expanded into a national effort to encourage young people to make good choices.

First responders paraded around the circular drive at Leslie Fox Keyser Elementary School in honor of Heroes Day. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh.

On certain days throughout the week, students were encouraged to wear red, sock it to unhealthy choices with crazy, mismatched, or superhero socks, dress up as a community hero such as a doctor, teacher, firefighter, nurse, police officer, EMT, or military personnel, and declare with neon colors and sunglasses that the future is too bright for drugs. Child advocacy groups have documented a correlation between exposure to first responders and later success for children who bond in positive, non-emergency settings with those role models, learning that they are their friends and live noble lives worth imitating. That contact puts children on a better path and leads them to believe they can do these acts of community service.

Key players in facilitating Heroes Day and the Red Ribbon Week, LFK Principal Jennifer Cameron (above) and school counselor Dani Pond with WCSO Deputy Henry Molina (below) anticipated with excitement the parade designed to build trust between students and first responders.