SM North’s annual Red Ribbon Week was held from Oct. 22-26.

The weeklong event, which takes place at schools across the US, aims to raise awareness of the problems associated with drugs and alcohol and prevent students from abusing those substances in the future.

“It’s a national movement that students and communities can celebrate being drug free,” North SRO Antionette Covington said.

Part of Red Ribbon Week was the ‘Grim Reaper’ simulation. During third hour on Wednesday, students in each classroom were selected to wear a sign that said ‘I am not here because…’ and listed a scenario, such as distracted driving or a drug overdose. The students were asked to wear the sign all day and not speak, to show how different the school would be if students died as a result of bad decisions.

“I think that personally it shows how it’s different if people don’t talk, like they aren’t here,” senior Colton Bendure said. “For me, I had two friends overdose over the summer, so this is what it’s actually like without them here.”