During Red Ribbon week in late October, Marietta Public School’s Resource Officer Jeremy Hartman met with several primary and elementary classes to discuss the dangers of drugs, smoking, vaping, and alcohol.
After those initial meetings, Hartman challenged students with two projects.
Students in kindergarten, first, and second grades, designed and colored a red ribbon, the symbol of the movement in schools across America that annually challenges students to remain drug, tobacco, and alcohol free.
The students who completed that voluntary project were treated to popsicles by Hartman on Friday, November 11.
“I didn’t know it was going to be cold that day when I made the promise,” said Hartman, “but they didn’t care. They enjoyed their popsicles.”
With the older students in third, fourth, and fifth grades, Hartman was able to spend a little more time and discuss the dangers of substance abuse, sharing with them a presentation complete with pictures that detail the long term effects to internal organs, as well as sharing his personal story.
“I was able to talk to them about what it was like for me as a child growing up with an addicted father, and how one person’s decisions influence a whole family,” Hartman explained.
The older students were challenged to write an essay about the effects of drug, tobacco, and alcohol usage. The essay was on a volunteer basis, and over 70 students in the three grades took the challenge and wrote an essay.
“I collected those on November 4,” said Hartman. “Those kids put a lot of time and effort into their essays. Some even talked about drug and alcohol use in their own families. I read through them all, wrote some comments, and even thanked the kids for doing that. And then I attached a letter inviting them to have lunch with me.”
On November 10, Hartman arrived at school with pizza for 71 students, then, with the help of some elementary teachers, proceeded to serve their lunch and eat with them as they made their way through several extra-large pizzas in a record amount of time.
“It was very rewarding to see those students so receptive to the information,” said Hartman. “I love my job because I get to work with those kids every day.”