Red Ribbon Week activities, hosted by peer counseling, aim to persuade students to stay away from harmful substances, as well as encourage them to be resilient and show compassion to their peers. Lasting from Oct. 28 to Oct. 30, Red Ribbon Week aimed to bring out the best in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students.

The peer counseling team organized Red Ribbon Week by setting up presentations about drunk driving. The head of Red Ribbon Week, Rebecca Hernandez, has been teaching the Latinos in Action class for seven years, but this was Hernandez’s first year teaching peer counseling.

The theme of this year’s Red Ribbon Week was “life is a movie, live drug free.” With this theme, Hernandez hoped to advise students to truly think about their actions and the widespread ramifications they have.

“I’d like students to make smart choices and wise decisions before it affects themselves and others,” Hernandez said.

Among other things, the event allowed students to feel more connected to one another. It also promoted a drug free lifestyle, encouraging students to make well thought out decisions that will positively affect their lives and the lives of those around them.