MONTEBELLO – Montebello Unified School District inaugurated Red Ribbon Week on Oct. 26 with a drug-free pledge and awareness program at Bell Gardens Elementary School. Red Ribbon Week was observed throughout the District with activities including assemblies, contests and pledges to remain drug free.

“By celebrating Red Ribbon Week, our campus and Montebello Unified are taking an everlasting pledge to stay drug free and not let drugs knock us from our paths to success,” Bell Gardens Elementary Principal James Sams said. “I am so proud of our students, teachers and staff, who embody the success that can only be obtained through hard work and determination.”

MUSD Chief of Police Linh Dinh, and MUSD Police officers discussed drug prevention and Halloween do’s and don’ts, such as letting parents check candy hauls and not opening any items that look like they have been tampered with.

“Red Ribbon Week symbolizes the deep commitment of Montebello Unified and its students to remain drug free,” Board of Education President Benjamin Cardenas said. “When our students commit to being drug free, the message extends beyond the classroom and into our community.”

Red Ribbon Week, observed by schools across the country, was held Oct. 23 through Oct. 31 this year. The initiative was launched in 1985 following the death of Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Kiki Camarena, reportedly at the hands of Mexico City drug traffickers.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

102616_MUSD_REDRIBBON1: Two Bell Gardens Elementary kindergarteners in Guadalupe Hoxie’s class pretend to fly like Superman before the start of Montebello Unified’s Red Ribbon Week kickoff on Oct. 26, where BGE students took the pledge to live drug free.

102616_MUSD_REDRIBBON2: Bell Gardens Elementary Student Council Vice President Jose Sandoval prepares to read the