Councilmember Peter F. Vallone Jr. marched alongside elementary schoolchildren from P.S. 17 in Astoria on October 24 to kick off Red Ribbon Week, a nationwide drug prevention campaign. Students, from pre-K through fifth grades, wore red, held signs and chanted, “I am drug free” during their parade around the parameters of the school. The parade was the first of several activities planned at the school, which will focus on building a commitment to drug prevention and ways to better maintain healthy lifestyles. “I commend the parents, teachers and administrators of P.S. 17 for working with our kids to send a very strong anti-drug message today. These words, ‘I am drug free,’ may seem to be a fun chant for now, but they also have the power to save lives in the future,” Vallone said.