The Levittown School District is sponsoring its 16th annual Levittown Education Against Destructive Decisions (LEADD) Program this Sunday, March 17.

The festivities will begin with a family LEADD walk, scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. The walk begins at the Levittown Memorial Education Center (LMEC), where students, members of the faculty, residents, their families and friends will walk an approximate 1.3 miles until they arrive back at the school for the LEADD Family Fair, which is taking place in the gym of LMEC. In the event of rain, the district plans to still take part in the walk, with participants walking in the halls of the school rather than outside. All children who participate in the Family LEADD Walk will be acknowledged with a memento.

The fair, taking place immediately following the walk, will provide students and family members with amusements, games and drug education/prevention education.

Drug prevention and education programs have been taking place in all of Levittown's schools throughout the week. Students and faculty members are participating in various activities, including welcoming guest speakers, making posters, reading books, learning about healthy eating habits, exercising and internet safety.

Elementary schools planned an array of activities to celebrate not just throughout LEADD week, but throughout the month and, in some cases, throughout the entire school year. Staff members said they will emphasize their ongoing commitment to educating children about the importance of positive peer relationships and living a healthy lifestyle. Students at East Broadway will welcome a martial arts instructor visit to their classrooms and give a demonstration. In addition, the instructor will discuss the history of karate, stressing self discipline to the students. Some of the activities planned at Lee Road include having resources which are related to this year's theme available at the library and having posters and signs displayed in each classroom. The school's art teacher will coordinate the annual LEADD poster contest, in which students eagerly compete for four savings bonds. In addition, students are encouraged to wear LEADD shirts and fitness videos will be made available by the physical education department.

At Northside, LEADD programs have been taking place all year long. In September, teachers engaged students in class projects having to do with healthy choices. In November, students created "No Smoking" slogans and posters. As part of LEADD's "caring and sharing" theme, all third grade classes participated in the Help-A-Family program in December. Earlier this year, students created food pyramids and class graphs dealing with issues such as making good choices and incorporating healthy eating habits into their lifestyles. At Summit Lane, students will take part in "Exercise Day - Fit for Life," where students and faculty members will dress for physical activity. They will also be spoken to about drug and alcohol prevention, as will other guest speakers, and students will learn about how various habits, such as smoking and unhealthy nutrition patterns, could cause health problems.

On the middle school level, students will also be learning about how to avoid destructive decisions. In addition to participating in the walk and fair, as will many students in the district, Salk Middle School is planning activities such as assemblies regarding internet safety and peer pressure. Students will also participate in the American Lung Association's Poster Contest.

High school students will also participate in assemblies, which, at MacArthur, include having an alumnus of the school speaking about drug abuse and recovery. In addition, members of local health organizations will speak to students about the dangers of smoking.

The district has invited Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Gerald Claps, who will be retiring at the end of the school year and John Theissen, founder of Toys for Sick Children, to be Grand Marshals for the walk. All families are invited to come out and make a strong statement against destructive decisions while enjoying some healthful and informative activities.