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District presenter urges students to 'be your own hero' during Red Ribbon Week campaign
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Summary
Charles Casar presented the district’s Red Ribbon Week campaign to the school board, describing a multi-year messaging approach called 'You’ve gotta be your own hero' and highlighting in-school seminars and a student turnaround story used to underscore prevention efforts.
At its Oct. 28 meeting, the St. Bernard Parish School Board heard a presentation on Red Ribbon Week from Charles Casar, who laid out a multi-year prevention theme and described school-based activities aimed at substance-use prevention.
Casar told the board the theme for this year is "you've gotta be your own hero," and said the district plans to run the message over the next two years to allow it to take hold in students and the broader community. He described classroom sessions, assemblies and partnerships intended to reinforce healthy choices and boundaries.
As part of the presentation, Casar recounted a classroom moment at Andrew Jackson where a student who had begun using substances in middle school described feeling "so nervous" and then spoke publicly about wanting to change; Casar cited that example as evidence of the potential impact of prevention messaging and school-based supports.
The update noted partnerships with outside organizations that have supported in-school programming, including the New Orleans Children’s Advocacy Center, New Orleans Children’s Hospital and members of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office who participated in discussions with students.
Board members thanked Casar and district staff for the work and for the focus on long-term messaging. No formal board action was recorded on the presentation.
