Coweta Students Learn About Dangers Of Drugs, Alcohol

Coweta 4th, 5th, and 6th graders are celebrating Red Ribbon Week, when they get lessons about saying “no” to bullying and “no” to drugs and alcohol.

Coweta Schools go all out for Red Ribbon Week.  Each day, they have had a different activity.  On Tuesday, they got to watch a drug dog work and heard a lesson about drunk driving.

The students were fascinated by Bain and his handler, Wagoner County Deputy Darren Watkins.

Drugs were hidden in one of four backpacks, which were placed in front of teachers and the principal.  Then, Bain went to work.

“When he alerts to narcotics, he will sit down and stare,” said Deputy Watkins.

It doesn’t take long before Bain finds the drugs in the backpack right in front of Principal Delores Bailey.

While the demonstration is in fun, the message is serious – don’t accept anything from anyone if you don’t know exactly what it is.

I was escorted into the gym by two young men and I shared the story of my big brother, Jimmy, who was killed by a drunk driver when he was 19, just a few days before my high school graduation.

"I believe you can be anything you want to be.  It doesn't matter if you grow up in a small town, or on a pig farm, or with no money, you can be anything you want to be."

The kids walked away from the Red Ribbon Week activities with a better understanding of how important it is not to let drugs or alcohol interfere with their dreams, and that those choices can often lead to jail or death.