HAVING FUN SAYING NO TO DRUGS

Students Play At Y During Red Ribbon Week Finale

The Burlington Area Community YMCA--YWCA was alive and pumping at
11:30 p.m. for the annual Seeds Amongst the Stones lock--in Saturday night.

The take--over stood as the wrap--up to Red Ribbon Week, the week
where area schools support the "Say NO to drugs" campaign.

Red Ribbon Week started 20 years ago when Drug Enforcement Agent
Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by drug
traffickers in Mexico.

After this death, friends and neighbors wore red badges to honor him
and show they would continue his fight against illegal drugs.

Every year since then, students across the United States have worn
red ribbons on their shirts. They have worn them to school, to Red
Ribbon Week activities, to the grocery store, to play.

And play is what the students from Burlington, West Burlington, Notre
Dame, Mediapolis and Danville high schools did all night Saturday and
into the morning hours of Sunday.

"There's a massive amount of food, pop, games," said Stacy Hiller,
Grade A Plus coordinator, at the YMCA Saturday night, "and little sleep."

The students could play basketball, racquetball, volleyball,
dodgeball, ping pong and board games. They could swim from midnight
to 2 a.m. They could watch movies all night long.

They could do typical high school stuff in a safe, positive
environment, Hiller said.

"It's a good opportunity to meet people from other schools and have
fun," said Sierra Krisle, a junior at Mediapolis High School student.

Martha Dean, also a junior at MHS added, "What else do you have
planned to do between midnight to 6 a.m.?"

And with daylight savings time ending, they had an extra hour to party.

"What?" Dean said laughing. "Don't tell me that."

Both Dean and Krisle have attended the event since their freshman
year. After having such a good time, the pair decided to get involved
and help organize the event.

"There will be dodgeball and food," Krisle said. Dean added, "There's
Subway, pizza, ice cream -- so it's all covered."

In the food/game/movie room, people grabbed bags of candy or popcorn
and headed to other sections of the Y.

"I got a free bag of candy so things are going pretty good so far,"
said Andrew Deen, West Burlington High School junior, as he talked to
three junior girls from Mediapolis High.

Deen had played basketball earlier in the evening, and the girls had
participated in the Halloween costume contest.

"We dressed up as cowgirls," 16--year--old Emily Baker said.

And though the girls didn't win it, they did have a good time.

WBHS freshman Antoinette Holman did win the costume competition, her
Pippi Longstocking outfit making her stick out from the rest. After
the competition, Holman kept the outfit on as long as she could, but
"it was really uncomfortable and itchy."

Holman is new to the area, having moved from Cedar Rapids recently.
Other students at the lock--in had similar events from sixth grade
on, but the experience was new for Holman.

"It's fun," she said. "It's a chance for people at different schools
to get to know each other."

For Mike Dewey, a WBHS sophomore, the event is a chance to hang out
with friends and draw.

"I will come every year as long as I can," he said, coloring in a
drawing he made earlier in the night. He also planned to stay up all night.

So did BHS students Levi Ruth and Ben Noblet who had just finished
playing racquetball and were sitting in the movie/snack room
re--energizing before the next game.

"We played extreme racquetball," said Ruth, a sophomore. "You hit
each other with the racquetballs for no reason at all."

"It hurts," added Noblet, a junior.

The boys and several others planned to play soccer, basketball and
more racquetball before the night was over.

"We'll probably come out again next year," Ruth said.

Michael Douglas, a WBHS senior, won't have that opportunity again.

"I've come the last four years," he said. "It's a good time -- worth the $5."