Red Ribbon Week starts on October 22 and goes until October 26. Red Ribbon Week is celebrated every year at the high school to promote drug free lives.

With more than 100,000 schools and organizations taking part in Red Ribbon Week each year, it makes it the largest anti-drug event in the United States, according to District 95’s website.

Red Ribbon Week came into existence as the result of the death of Drug Enforcement Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena in 1985. Ever since his death, the Red Ribbon is used as a symbol for Americans to show that ribbon by ribbon, neighbor by neighbor, participants are united in their stand for a drug-free youth, according to the District 95’s website.

To show support and recognition for Red Ribbon Week, students decorated the outside area of the school in red ribbons.

“I volunteered to decorate the school last year and gladly signed up again this year,” Sarah Iwicki, senior, said. “It’s really fun and it’s a good way to raise awareness for drug and alcohol prevention in the community.”

Volunteer students tied red ribbons to trees, and hung banners and signs throughout the inside and outside of LZHS.

Some of the interior decorations consisted of the new Social Norms Media Campaign posters, which inform students of statistical facts regarding the actual amount of alcohol and drug abuse in LZHS.

The statistics for the media campaign come from the 2012 Illinois Youth Health Survey results, which students completed in last spring.

Red Ribbon Week also consists of themed dress days, each of which corresponds with a message to fight drugs.

Tuesday is ‘Give Drugs the Red Light’ when students wear red; Wednesday is ‘Elect to be Drug Free’ for which students wear red, white, and blue clothing; Thursday is ‘Sock it to Drugs’ designed for students to wear mis-matched socks; and Friday is ‘Spirit Day’ for which students are to wear the colors of their school.

As a companion event, the Ela Coalition Against Youth Substance Abuse and the Lake Zurich Schools are sponsoring a Drug Prevention Education Forum to educate people of how to become and stay drug free, on Tuesday October 23 from 7pm to 9pm at the Community Center, according to the District 95’s website.