A Look Back: A Parent's Take on Red Ribbon Week

(This article written by parent Joanne Gepp)

It’s a clear, crisp October morning and the Mountainside schools are on the final day of Red Ribbon Week.  It’s been a week of choices, and learning how to make the right decisions in life.  The younger children at Beechwood School have been learning about healthy food options, while the children at Deerfield School have been learning to turn their backs on drugs and the associated lifestyle.

The right choice is blatantly obvious to the teachers and parents of the Mountainside children, but getting them to listen, really listen, is the challenge.  To meet the challenge is Perfection On Wheels.  The pupils of Deerfield School file out into the parking lot to see an awesome display and listen to an important message.

Perfection On Wheels consisted of three young men on BMX bikes.  They instantly caught the attention of the whole school (pupils and teachers) with an energetic display of bike skills.  During the following hour these men performed stunning feats on their bikes as well as pausing to talk to the children.  They delivered a personal and pertinent message about making sensible and healthy choices, emphasizing that they get plenty of thrills and spills from life, which they wouldn’t have been able to achieve if they had chosen otherwise. 

For some strange reason, the choice to jump over various prone teachers on a bike seemed to appeal strongly.  Other important messages will probably have sunk in, but the memory of the teachers and the principal lying prone on the parking lot, while someone jumped a BMX bike over them may well be the most lasting impression.