Spring Branch ISD Featured News

 

 

Red Ribbon Week, the nation's largest and longest-running drug-use prevention campaign, has been a longstanding tradition in Spring Branch ISD. Annually, schools across the district place a strong emphasis on educating students and encouraging participation in fun activities promoting drug prevention, healthy food habits, positive messages and more. 

This year, students followed creative themes and engaged in a variety of activities including crazy hair days, dressing in pajamas and even presentations from K-9 officers! 

Here a few highlights from around SBISD: 

The Lion Lane School

To celebrate Red Ribbon Week, Lion Lane hosted their annual Book Character Day, where students dressed up as their favorite book character and paraded their costumes throughout the school. 

“Our Book Character Parade was born in 2019,” said Michele Gabriel, director at Lion Lane. “Since our district and campus focus is literacy and we know that young children learn best from hands-on, play-based experiences, a parade to celebrate their favorite books just made sense!” 

Families were able to attend the parade, which Gabriel notes is very important because it opens the conversation about literacy between them and their children. 

The parade is also livestreamed to make sure all families have a chance to see it. 

The Panda Path School 

Panda Path’s special theme for Red Ribbon Week was Be Happy, Be Brave and Be Drug-Free. 

Panda Path hosted Coffee with the Principal, where families were informed on the meaning of Red Ribbon Week and why it is critical to teach students about drug awareness from a young age. During the week, the school nurse and Communities in Schools (CIS) social worker visited classrooms to encourage students to always make good choices. 

The week started with a visit from an SBISD K-9 officer and his partner. The duo taught students the importance of saying no to drugs. Students also received a visit from a fire truck and got to wear crazy socks and superhero shirts. 

“Red Ribbon Week is a great way to get our students to talk to their families about drug education,” said Sonya Ramirez, CIS social worker at Panda Path. “By joining in the activities, we can help promote a sense of community and focus on promoting our common purpose of staying drug-free.”  

Cedar Brook Elementary

Students at Cedar Brook were excited to say no to drugs and yes to books.

“Red Ribbon Week is a great way to get students and parents to take a visible stand against drugs,” said Vanessa Navarrete, Cedar Brook counselor. “The activities are fun and encourage students to make good choices.” 

To promote drug awareness and literacy, students entered a contest where they designed a bookmark with a drug-free message. The winner received a goody bag and the bookmark will be used as the official Cedar Brook bookmark of the year. 

Students also had the chance to dress as their favorite storybook character and participated in the Book Parade, where they showed off their attire. 

Edgewood Elementary  

The Edgewood Cougars started the week signing a pledge to be safe, healthy and drug-free. 

Students also had a book character parade where they demonstrated their commitment to be “addicted to learning, not drugs.” Other activities included wearing sunglasses for their “bright” future and caps to “Put a Cap on Drugs,” among others. 

The fifth grade safety patrols tied red ribbons on the trees around the campus to showcase the school’s commitment. 

“I truly hope that the activities made students aware of the dangers of drug use,” said Maria Ochoa Chalico, Edgewood behavior coordinator. “Our goal is to help them learn different strategies that can be used in the future to prevent drug usage and encourage positive choices.”

Frostwood Elementary 

At Frostwood, students engaged in a full week of activities including wearing sunglasses, pajamas and even ties to not “get tied up in drugs.” 

“This week we focused on promoting healthy, safe, drug-free choices to our students,” said Michelle Perkins, Frostwood counselor. “Drug awareness is an important conversation we should be having and Red Ribbon Week is a perfect way to get that conversation started.” 

The students concluded the week as superheroes to show they have the ‘power’ to be drug-free. 

Meadow Wood Elementary 

Community circle activities were popular at Meadow Wood this week. During sessions students discussed respect and how they are respecting themselves and others. 

The week kicked off with students painting kindness rocks to include in their rock garden. The rocks included messages such as Be Kind, You Are the Best and You Rock. 

“By involving students, we hope that they will internalize the importance of treating others with respect and kindness,” said Lynne Luberger, Meadow Woods counselor. “Both staff and students enjoyed the activities. The students are looking forward to seeing their rocks as they pass by the rock garden.” 

Other activities students engaged in included backward shirt day and neon shirt day. 

Shadow Oaks Elementary 

At Shadow Oaks, Red Ribbon Week kicked off with a pep rally featuring the cheerleading and dance teams from Spring Woods High School (SWHS). Students cheered excitedly as the SWHS teams performed. 

Their week of activities also included wearing pajamas, Hawaiian clothes, western wear and more. Teachers and students were excited to dress up and collectively raise awareness of the negative impact of drugs. 

“We were excited to engage in the activities!” said Aurelia Guzman, Shadow Oaks counselor. “Our teachers used community circle time to discuss with students the importance of Red Ribbon Week and how we can keep our minds and bodies healthy.” 

Terrace Elementary 

At Terrace, teachers, staff and students celebrated Positive Choices Week. Students communicated their positive choices through a bulletin board and the school’s daily broadcast. 

This year’s theme is Seeing Through a Positive Framework, which students came up with. Additionally, during their morning circle, they will be discussing prompts and sharing their positive choices. 

The students even received a visit from TORO, the official Houston Texans mascot, who presented Taking the Bull out of Bullying, emphasizing the importance of treating everyone with respect and kindness. 

The week concluded with a character parade, as students cheered on and continued to encourage others to make positive choices. 

Woodview Elementary 

The student council at Woodview Elementary decorated a bulletin board in honor of Red Ribbon Week, where they emphasized the importance of saying NO to drugs. They also took over the morning announcement and promoted the important message throughout the week. 

Throughout the week, students dressed in red, sports attire, western wear and more, to take a stand against drugs. 

“It is important for our students to understand the power they have when making smart choices and staying drug-free,” said Isabel Revelo, Woodview counselor. 

Red Ribbon Week celebrations emphasize SBISD’s Core Characteristics, as students must always be Empathetic and Self-Aware to make positive choices. 

View the full photo album of Red Ribbon Week celebrations!