Manikandan Venkata is a junior at Sunlake, and red ribbon week is important to him. Mani loves to participate in school activities, including being a part of National Honor Society and FBLA. “It’s a great opportunity for both getting volunteer hours for bright futures and contributing to my community. FBLA is a great club that makes me stand out for colleges while also having fun at competitions.” Mani also keeps up with sports, “I do taekwondo and tennis and sometimes volleyball with my friends”.

Of course, with all the school sports and clubs that Mani does, he also loves to participate in all kinds of spirit weeks, especially Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon Week is a week of school dedicated to fighting drugs. During this week, Sunlake students can wear red or participate in other spirit days in order to show their support. Mani was of course sure to rock a red shirt, and when asked why Mani cares, he replied, “When I was growing up my dad always told me stories of when he was in college. He was a drug addict at the time and since then he came to regret it. Red Ribbon week signifies the importance of my dad’s warnings of how drug abuse can lead to detrimental health effects such as cancer, depression and even death.” All in all, Mani really understands the importance of having a week of school dedicated to fighting drugs, and he is a great student with a bright future ahead of him.