NATCHEZ &045; Jandrea’ Drake awoke from a dream to realize she was living a nightmare.

Her dream, as she wrote in an essay for school, was of a drug free America. There was less crime, less poverty, more happiness and more money. But the theme of her Red Ribbon Week essay comes to an abrupt halt when she wakes up.

She realizes though that it takes students like her to work toward that ideal dream. Drake, the first place winner in the Natchez High School &uot;Vision for a Drug Free America&uot; essay contest, and classmates, Whitney Logan, second place, and Lakisha Anderson, third, said drugs are a problem for high school students in Natchez.

&uot;It’s a serious problem,&uot; Logan said. &uot;It’s obvious.&uot;

The intent of Red Ribbon Week and the essay contest is to reduce that problem.

&uot;We learn different facts about drugs that we probably didn’t know,&uot; Anderson said of Red Ribbon Week. &uot;It might make some realize.&uot;

The top three finishers, who all said they love writing, beat out several hundred other entries from their school. In the first round classroom teachers presented their top papers to the library, which then took 27 entries to outside judges.

The papers were judged on neatness, content, theme and grammar. The students said they had a couple of days to complete the assignment.

Logan, who said she keeps a journal and usually writes about her day, said she wrote about how anything is possible in a drug free America.

&uot;If you don’t have drugs in America there is no limit on anything else,&uot; Logan said.

In her paper she wrote about what that world would be like.

&uot;My vision of a drug free America is full of people that are socially intact with one another,&uot; she wrote. &uot;In my drug free America a high value is placed on strong social relationships.&uot;

All three winners are in the 11th grade.

Red Ribbon week will end on Friday.