Kim Fabro of Waimea High School and Theresa Huff of St. Catherine School won top honors in Kaua'i County's first Red Ribbon Week Essay Contest.

Nearly 300 students submitted essays on the theme, "how and why I live a drug-free life." The mission of the National Red Ribbon Campaign is to create a drug-free America.

Fabro was the high school division winner and Huff won in the middle school category.

"A common thread that ran through nearly all the essays was that by the time they reached middle school, they had tried drugs themselves or a family member was a drug user," said anti-drug coordinator Theresa Koki. "They also talked about how drugs are readily available in our schools."