EIGHTH-GRADER Eddie Allan sounded the call on his trumpet. Guidance counselor Joe Dymek -- dressed in turkey garb -- supervised the students at the starting line.
When the starting gun popped, they took off on Burleigh Manor Middle School's seventh Turkey Run on Wednesday.
The 1.1-mile cross-country course wound around the Burleigh Manor and Centennial High School playing fields.
Pupils finished amid shouts of encouragement from parents and teachers.
Barbara Calvert of the Howard County Striders, a running club, clocked each child's time.
Principal Barbara Hoffmann said the day was designed to focus attention on healthy alternatives to drugs: exercise, giving to others, and having fun.
As the day began, Hoffmann read the book "The Red Ribbon" to the student body from the school's television station.
The book's illustrations were displayed over TV monitors in each classroom.
Published by the National Family Partnership, the book has been used during Red Ribbon Week, usually observed in October, to promote drug-free living.
"The Red Ribbon" tells of a king who looked out of his window and saw beautiful gardens and farmlands. The people in his kingdom, however, suffered from "terrible sadness" and lived in fear. The king searched for a solution.
Finally, a simple weaver stepped forward. He asked everyone to gather round, then pulled a beautiful red ribbon out of a heavy brown bag.
The weaver asked that the ribbon be stretched throughout the kingdom and not be allowed to touch the ground.
People had to work together to accomplish this task. They began to smile as they found that "as long as their hands and hearts were joined together, they could conquer all sadness."
Staff, parents and the school's community partners joined together to create a festive day at Burleigh Manor.
The Turkey Run was organized by physical education teachers John Davis and Janine Powers, and health teacher Barbara Mongello prepared the drug awareness program.
Pupils Rebekah Culp, Stephanie Burrows, Katie Reck, Katie Nimmich, Lindsay Gertler and Ashley Neuworth served on the food drive committee. The drive ended on the day of the Turkey Run.
More than 1,950 nonperishable food items were collected.
Christopher Smith donated the most items with 60. Clayton Alexander and Caroline and Andrew Behringer tied for second with 47, and Liz Engle was third with 33.
