2024 Red Ribbon Week Campaign: ACPS Stands Against Drug Use

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) joined community partners at City Hall on Oct. 22, 2024, for the presentation of a proclamation declaring October 23-31 as Red Ribbon Week in the City of Alexandria. ACPS Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt and the ACPS Office of Community Partnerships and Engagement, the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria (SAPCA), SCAN of Northern Virginia and the Mayor’s Campaign to End Bullying united in recognizing the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the nation.

“We are especially grateful to all the partners we have at ACPS and in the community that support Red Ribbon Week, a major campaign that we champion on an annual basis, in addition to ACPS’ many efforts to keep our students safe from drugs and substance use each and every day,” Dr. Kay-Wyatt said.

The 2024 theme for Red Ribbon Week, “Life is a Movie, Film Drug Free,” was selected to inspire individuals to play their part in fostering safe, healthy and drug-free communities. The Red Ribbon campaign encourages the public to showcase what drug-free living means to them through photography, exemplifying a collective commitment to a drug-free lifestyle.

Students are encouraged to enter the annual Red Ribbon Week Poster Contest by Nov. 10, 2024, for a chance to win a $100 gift card and to sign the Red Ribbon Week pledge to grow up safe, healthy and drug-free. For more information on how to enter, visit the submission form.

Posters can also be mailed to the following address:

ACPS Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Center
1701 N. Beauregard Street, 6th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22311

If submitting via mail, please include the following information on the back of the poster: student’s full name and date of birth (month/day/year); student’s grade and school; phone number and email address; a short description of how this poster contest entry promotes a drug-free lifestyle; how you heard about the contest.

By submitting an entry, you confirm that ACPS/FACE and its partners have permission to reproduce the images and post on social media and other communication channels.

It takes a community to teach prevention and ACPS is committed to working with the community to ensure students have the information and tools they need so they can learn, grow and live drug free.