South Jordan Elementary students have better things to do than drugs.

That was their theme during their Oct. 22-29 Red Ribbon Celebration, a time set aside when students focus on drug prevention and education. While many schools recognize a week in October and mix fun slogans and dress-up days, South Jordan Elementary officials hope the message will remain present each and every day.

“One day, we had Bingham High School’s peer leadership come, and those 20 kids addressed the students about bullying, drugs, ways to identify problems and the right way to decide what to do,” Red Ribbon Week organizer Michelle Bodin said. “It was ‘Be a Hero, Not a Zero’ theme day so many students wore team sports jerseys and gear, but if they looked deeper, these Bingham students were teaching them about that slogan.”

A highlight Bodin said was when everyone embraced the color red one day by tying red ribbons to their backpacks and the school fence and wearing as much of the color red as possible. The class with the most red won a popcorn party with popcorn donated from the local Carmike Cinemas.

“We counted how many red items people wore and gave a point for each one. Some students really got into it, and girls painted all their nails and wanted a point for each nail. Even staff members wore eight or nine red items. It was a really neat thing to see everyone going all out to support it,” she said.

Students also seemed to enjoy the obstacle course that was set up one day in the school gym. After eating lunch, up to six students at once could complete the course, jumping in red pillowcases around orange plastic cones to “Jump Away from Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco.”

“It wasn’t super hard or difficult, but it was fun,” Bodin said.

By the end of the week, paper die-cut shoes decorated the school’s walls, each shoe holding a pledge from a student to be drug-free.

“We want students to have fun, but at the same time, take to heart the Red Ribbon Week message,” Bodin said.