What do Holley Elementary School students and Aretha Franklin have in common? R-E-S-P-E-C-T! The school used Red Ribbon Week, a national celebration of healthy life choices held October 23-27, to kick-off a year-long program that will help students learn about important character qualities, such as respect. At the beginning of the week, students in grades K-5 signed a pledge that states, "I will respect myself and others by living a life that is fun, healthy and safe." The 700 pledges, printed on red paper and in the shape of hands, are being placed in the hallways to spell out the word "respect" all over the school. Students also attended an assembly featuring Bill Strong, also known as Michael Schloegl, who talked to them about healthy living.

Later in the week, students received Red Ribbons to wear, and bookmarks that list healthy habits. A group of teachers also performed skits that illustrated examples of lack of respect and students were asked to come up with ways of handling the situations more respectfully. The week concluded with a group of high school students judging student-made posters with Red Ribbon Week themes and giving out prizes for the best. Over the next few weeks, teachers will carry through the theme of respect in their classrooms by including short lessons on the topic in their weekly curriculums. Then, every quarter, students will kick off a new word with more skits, followed by classroom lessons. The other character traits they will focus on are: responsibility, caring and trustworthiness. When students demonstrate these qualities at school, they will have tracings of their hands placed on the wall with their names. The school is also holding a sale of T-shirts that feature the slogan for this year, "Building Character Hand in Hand - Holley Elementary."