Belmonte School participates in

week-long prevention programBy Jessica Trufant / The Daily ItemSAUGUS – Faculty and students at Belmonte Middle School are certainly seeing red this week, but in a positive way.They’re taking a stand against drugs and promoting self-control in honor of Red Ribbon Week, the nation’s largest and oldest drug prevention program in the United States. Each year, Belmonte students participate in anti-drug events and programs during the last days of October, while the teachers wear red ribbons and decorate their doors.”There’s a variety of different events for each of the grades, and the kids dress up each day for a different slogan,” explained Belmonte guidance counselor Maureen Lueke. “There’s a new theme each year, and this year is about taking control. Students will learn about self-control and how to apply it to daily life, and we also tied bullying into the theme. Bullying happens at every school, but we’re really on top of it, and we do a good job at taking action and stressing that the kids have a place to come when there’s any issue. We also stress that the bystanders can help a lot.”Monday’s theme was “Being Drug Free Comes in Cans: I Can, You Can, We Can,” and the school kicked off the week by collecting cans and nonperishable items to donate to the food pantry.Saugus Police Det. Sean Moynihan visited the seventh-graders during gym class, and he discussed drug paraphernalia and the laws involved with drugs and alcohol.”We learned that drugs aren’t good for your body. They’re deadly, and they can get you in trouble,” said seventh-grader Domenic Franco.”Some prescriptions are good for you, but if you aren’t prescribed (drugs) you can get in trouble, and overuse is bad,” seventh-grader Joseph Thompson added.Guidance counselors visited the sixth grade classes on Monday to discuss topics that go along with the developmental guidance program n such as avoiding temptations, showing self-control, and following the right path. This classroom program was aimed at preparing students for a presentation later in the week, and it got them thinking about the messages that go along with Red Ribbon Week.”The kids are actually very interactive, and they talk about drugs and bullying, and they let us know what the real deal is,” Lueke said. “We’ve done Red Ribbon Week for the past 10 years, and it’s been a big deal here. We like to get into the classrooms more, and to get some good discussions going.”Tuesday’s slogan was “Give Drugs the Boot,” so Belmonte students wore their favorite boots, including cowboy boots and UGGs.The eighth-graders had an assembly on Internet safety Tuesday morning, and Moynihan discussed the dangers and seriousness of sharing information and bullying on the Web.Students had the rare chance to wear their pajama bottoms to school on Wednesday to promote the slogan “Follow Your Dreams. Don’t Do Drugs.”Greg Nickolas of Saugus Youth and Recreation brought former Saugus High students into the Belmonte wellness classes to stress the importance of making the right choices.Lueke said the speakers were young adults who either dropped out of high school or chose the wrong path as teenagers, and could speak first hand about the consequences.”It’s a really big thing to have past students come in to the classrooms. When they talk, you can hear a pin drop,” said Lueke. “It’s so important and appropriate because it’s kids talking to kids. Middle school students think they know it all, but the speakers have been through it.”Students will wear all black to support the slogan “Black Out Drugs” today, and they will decorate the teachers’ doors for a contest on Friday. Lueke said the competition gets quite competitive, and Principal Geoff Bruno is the judge.The week will wrap up with the theme “Team Up Against Drugs,” and students will wear team shirts and jerseys. Belmonte’s 2011 Red Ribbon Week was an overall success with great student and faculty participation.”The kids really get refocused on making the best choices, and they learn