On the week of October 22nd, the SADD Club here at North Hills High School once again sponsored Red Ribbon Week, a worldwide cause, to bring awareness to the consequences of drug abuse.

This year, SADD Club made it their effort to come up with new and creative ways to get the message across to the students in a clear and effective way. During the morning announcements, there were videos about destructive decisions and the effects they have as well as SADD members speaking out to their peers. During all of the lunch periods, members of SADD sold t-shirts from previous years for $2.00 to initiate a “Throwback Thursday” idea among the students. When a student purchased a shirt, they wrote their names on a star to hang onto the window to campaign the slogans “Life Can Take You Higher Than Drugs” and “Your Future Will Shine So Bright with No Drugs in Sight.” SADD also hung posters all around the school to raise awareness. These signs gave statistics about the contents of a juul or a vape, as well as the effects that it has on a person and their lungs. Some stated “1 juul pod = 20 cigarettes worth of nicotine” or “Nicotine is as addictive as heroin, cocaine, and alcohol.”

Mrs. Medic, the SADD Club sponsor, said, “Students need to hear this message over and over again, as well as hear it from their peers. If they know that there are other students that have the same views as them about the negative effects of drugs, I feel they will be more likely to act in a positive way.”

As a result of the posters and the campaigns, many students have taken the time and effort put in by SADD Club for granted. Many students had a strong voice about the week over social media by making fun of the signs or ripping them off of the wall and throwing them away. Morgan Stone, the president of SADD club, said “I think, as high school students, there are certain things we may view as being ‘cool’, ‘normal’, or even ‘expected’ of us. Students are at an age where someone telling you not to do something makes you want to do it even more. I absolutely think they should take them seriously because they are nothing but the truth. Some of the messages may seem cheesy or cliché, but at the end of the day, we’re really only trying to spread awareness. All of the messages are things that could prevent someone from going down the wrong path, or even save someone’s life. It’s so important.”

Savannah Argenas, a member of SADD, said “SADD club makes me more aware of and teaches me the consequences of destructive drugs.” Miranda Hilderbrand, also a SADD member, agreed by saying “SADD club has taught me not to be a fool and be aware of the negative effects of drugs.”