Well into overtime, the crowd at the Miami Arena Thursday morning jumped, cheered and danced.

But the 14,000 students bused in from across Dade County weren't cheering for the Miami Heat. They were cheering for themselves, pledging to keep drugs out of their bodies and trash out of the environment.

"It's not the color of the balloon that makes it fly so high. It's what is inside," said Edmund Benson, founder of the ARISE foundation, which co-sponsored the self-esteem rally with Dade County Public Schools.

The rally, which lasted four hours, was also part of Red Ribbon Week, when students pledge to stay drug-free.

FBI agent Gordon McNeil, who was seriously wounded in a 1986 shoot-out with bank robbers in Kendall, lead an anti-drug pledge and told the kids how he overcame his wounds. McNeil was shot in the neck, head and right hand and spent three years recovering from his injuries. Two fellow agents were killed in the Suniland shootout.

"Those of us in law enforcement put our lives on the line each day. But you have a choice," McNeil said. "Don't put your life on the line and use drugs."

Celinda Avendano, 11, a fifth-grade student at F.S. Tucker Elementary in Coconut Grove, said she would never take drugs because "they put your lungs black."

Matthieu Dahdah, 9, a fourth-grade student at Key Biscayne Elementary, said people who take drugs are stupid.

"It's very rare for a person who does drugs to have self-control," said Matthieu, who was wearing his Webelo Scout uniform. One of the mottos of the Webelos is: "A scout is clean," which includes being drug-free.

Students also promised to help save the environment. State Attorney Janet Reno swore about 5,000 elementary safety patrols into "enviro-cop" status, asking them to swear "that I will protect the environment and arrest waste."

The enviro-cops will be in charge of recycling operations in their schools, making sure that recyclables are placed in the proper bins.

Several community leaders attended the event, including Schools Superintendent Octavio Visiedo.

"It was probably the most energizing thing that I have done in the last year," Visiedo said after the rally. "The kids were there to express concern about the environment, talk about healthy eating and living habits, and voice support for anti- substance abuse education . . . It was a positive time for all of us."

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