View - Coral Reef Senior High School

2 NewsCoral Reef Sr. HighNovember/December 2009Students celebrate being drug and addiction freeCoral Reef encourages its students to raise awareness about the dangers of drugs and alcoholJEREMY MATHURINStaff WriterRed Ribbon Week is the America’soldest and largest drug preventionprogram reaching millions of Americansduring the last week of October every yearaccording to the US Drug Enforcementadministration. By wearing red ribbonsand participating in community anti-drugevents, people pledge to live a drug-freelife.“I think that red ribbon week really doeshelp people to stop doing drugs. I mean ithelps people to see the error of their waysbut I really don’t know how it originated,”said Andrew Rego, IB sophomore.The designation began when SpecialAgent Camarena, an 11-year veteranof the DEA assigned to Guadalajara,Mexico, was on the trail of the country’sbiggest marijuana and cocaine traffickers.In 1985, he was extremely close toinfiltrating a multi-billion dollar drugpyramid. On February 7, 1985, he wasdiscovered kidnapped, and murdered byMexican drug traffickers. His tragic deathopened the eyes of many Americans tothe dangers of drugs and the internationalaspect of the drug trade.Shortly after Camarena’s death, the firstRed Ribbon Week celebrations were heldin La Mirada and Norwalk, California in1988 by the National Family Partnership(NFP) with President and Mrs. Reaganserving as honorary chairpersons.To celebrate Red Ribbon Week, schools,Coral Reef celebrates Red Ribbon week every year. Students raise awareness by posting posters allover the school as well as playing music in the courtyard. This year’s theme was music as the anti-drug;something that could help students overcome addiction and temptation.businesses, religious organizations, andcommunity groups join together in manyways, such as organizing drug-free events,decorating buildings in red, handing outred ribbons to people, holding parades orPHOTO CREDIT: JEREMY MATHURINcommunity events, and most importantlypromoting a drug-free life.“Drugs are completely bad for you, that’sobvious, but when it comes to side effects,there is loss of brain cells, bad breath,yellow teeth and thereis some other stuff too,”said Estuardo Gonzalez,Business sophomore.Although most can agreethat drugs are bad for yourhealth, all the side effectsof using illegal drugsare not always commonknowledge. Some of themore serious long termside effects include in somemales an enlarged prostateand may become infertile.Any drug user is in dangerof depression, a loss of shortterm memory, brain damage,coma, seizure, respiratoryarrest or sudden death.“Red Ribbon Week isa really important week,and it’s great that it bringsa community togetheragainst a cause that isextremely prevalent in theentire country,” said ArnieHernandez, Business junior.Red Ribbon Week is aspecial holiday and allowsnot only students but entirecommunities to combat aforce that has been at theheart of devastation of thesocial stability of America. Red RibbonWeek helps mend the hole created byillegal drugs.Teens and breast cancerBreast cancer afflicting the young as wellDEVANTE MUHAMMEDStaff WriterBreast cancer is a terrifying prognosis.Cancer develops when abnormal changesoccur in the genes that are responsible forgrowth of cells and keeping them healthy.It can occur in both men and women,though in men it is much rarer. About 90%of breast cancer is not due to heredityfactors, but to genetic abnormalitiesthat can happen as a result of agingand life in general. According tothe American Cancer Society,400,000 people die annually ofbreast cancer.The conflict with breastcancer is that most teens arefamiliar with the term but donot know exactly what it is. Allthat can be inferred from what teensknow about breast cancer is that itis another way to die, yet theydo not know the seriousnessof this disease. The term“breast cancer” is justreferring a malignanttumor that has developedfrom cells in the breast.“Breast cancer affects bothmen and women. As far as it beinga family cancer, the woman is not the onlyone dealing with the disease. Her familysuffers along with her and deals with thepain and anxiety associated with treatmentand the horrible unknown of whether ornot she will succumb to the disease,”said Ms. Deidre Smith, Health Scienceteacher.Who does this affect? This diseaseperhaps connects with your family andfriends.“It affects people in your life, like itcauses grief with friends, family, andeveryone around you,” saidKeturah Modeste, MedicalSenior.There is some goodnews though. As of2008, there are about2.5 million womenin the U.S who havesurvived breast cancer.One in eight womenwill develop breast canceraccording to the AmericanCancer Society, but manypeople infer that thiscan happen on anygiven day, theyand the womenthey know havea one in eight riskof developing thedisease.People tend to have a verydifferent way of viewing the risk. Howyou view the risk of getting breast cancerdepends on the individual situation. Butnow that the awareness is out, help passon the message because being aware cando more that you think.SUBMITTOELYSIUMPOETRY-STORIES-DRAMATICWRITING-RAP-SONGS-MUSIC-SCULPTURE-PAINTING-COMICS-P H O T O G R A P H Y - G R A P H I CD E S I G N - E S S A Y S - P R O S E -FASHIONDESIGN-MUSICALCOMPOSITIONS-INTERVIEWSDrop entries off in room 310