Shanksville-Stonycreek High School participated in the 2016 Red Ribbon Week. The following article is a piece written by Lexus Wilt, sophomore, to raise awareness about being drug free. 

"Respect is something that you have to give to get. Earning respect begins by respecting yourself. If you learn to respect yourself your life will be so much greater. All of your dreams and a bright future will lie ahead of you. I choose to be drug free for many reasons. One major reason is because if you are struggling with an internal or external problem, drugs will just create more physical and mental problems. I would rather be healthy, follow my dreams, and set new goals that I can strive to reach. I love to play sports and one of my goals is to play college basketball and softball. Drugs can do immense damage to your body which will make physical activities harder and will make you want to give up and not push yourself. This will make your chances of doing well with sports very limited and unlikely. Why would you want to ruin your dreams with drugs? Respecting yourself will help you earn respect from your friends, family, and the people that mean the most to you. I know that a lot of younger children look up to me which is why I try to make good choices in school and outside of school. I want these younger kids to know that the rest of their life could be so great if they get on the right path at a young age and make good decisions. Peer pressure is one of the hardest things that you will face in life. Making the decision to say no to something might not be “cool” and your so called “friends” might not accept you for being yourself but it will definitely be worth it in the end when you can see everything you wish to do and be in your future because you didn’t make a destructive decision. The choice is yours to make. I hope you choose wisely. Respect yourself, respect your health, and be drug free!"