NAPLES, Italy — Students might be seeing red this week, but it’s not because they’re angry. Schools around the world are celebrating Red Ribbon Week with activities geared toward sounding a loud and clear anti-drug message.

The red ribbon, along with banners, pennants and other decorations displayed in schools illustrates a commitment to a drug-free lifestyle, said Mona Morgan, principal of Naples Elementary School.

"It symbolizes that we are against drugs or anything that is unhealthy for the body," Morgan said. "We want our students to make good choices."

"The more we make our kids aware of being resistant to drugs as they grow older, they will have that knowledge when they go back to schools in the U.S. where drugs might be more prevalent," Morgan said.

Schools also hope to help prepare students to deal with peer pressure that can lead to drug abuse.

Members of the community helped set up displays and hand out red ribbons and bracelets in the school, and talked to students about the pitfalls of drug abuse.

"More people died from smoking than died in the Civil War," proclaimed Rowan Williams, a fourth-grader at Naples Elementary School, as he helped his class decorate their door with anti-drug posters they created.

"I think it’s a good way to tell people not to do drugs," said classmate Dante Dothard.

Red Ribbon Week is sponsored by the National Family Partnership, which describes the campaign as "the largest drug prevention program in the nation."

The origins of the campaign go back to 1985, when an agent from the Drug Enforcement Agency, Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, was kidnapped and murdered in Mexico City. At the time Camarena, a former Marine, was on the verge of exposing a multibillion-dollar drug trafficking network.

Since then, the observance has grown into weeklong activities for students in elementary, middle and high schools.

The DEA Web site features information on Camarena and the origins of Red Ribbon Week. Log onto www.usdoj.gov/dea/ongoing/red_ribbon/redribbon_history.html