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Riverside Prep students win 'Say No to Drugs' scholarships
Two Riverside Preparatory Middle School students recently won a combined $1,000 through a “drug free” scholarship contest.
The Narcotic Educational Foundation of America (NEFA) awarded Daniel Dorado and Vincent Gonzalez last month for their winning submissions to the nonprofit’s Henry Hall “Say No to Drugs” contest.
Under the California Narcotic Officers Association (CNOA), NEFA organizes the annual contest to award students between the ages of 10 and 14 who submit videos, essays and posters that promote a drug free lifestyle.
Encouraged to enter the contest by their teachers at Riverside Prep, Dorado and Gonzalez each won $500 from NEFA.
Dorado, an eighth grade student, was awarded for his three-page essay on the dangers of drug abuse, which drew from some personal experiences of seeing people in his life misuse drugs.
“The kids I know that have used drugs are now on probation and/or have gotten suspended from school,” Dorado wrote in his essay.
He wrote specifically about one friend who used drugs which “messed up his mind so much” that he chose to commit suicide.
“I just wanted (my friend’s) memory to be an example of what can happen when you abuse drugs,” Dorado, 13, wrote. “Stop before you start. Think about how the drugs will affect you mentally, physically, and how it will affect your relationships. Avoid the temptation. All you have to do is say ‘No.’”
Gonzalez, a sixth grade student, earned the award for his submission of a poster design that matched the theme of Red Ribbon Week, which Riverside Prep recognizes in October. The poster reads “Say No to Drugs,” with international prohibition signs replacing the o’s in the words “No” and “to.”
The 11-year-old said he, too, was inspired to promote being drug-free after seeing someone he he cares about abuse drugs. He said he wants to encourage young people who do drugs to try to fit in to “just say no” and to live healthier lifestyles.
Dorado’s essay and Gonzalez’s poster were both displayed at CNOA’s annual conference held in Reno, Nevada near the end of 2017. Both boys said they would be saving their scholarship earnings to put toward their college education.
For more information on NEFA and the “Say No to Drugs” contest, visit http://www.narcoticeducation.org.