“You Just May Start a Chain Reaction”

Rachel Scott.
The first person killed at Columbine High School, April 20, 1999.

Yesterday after Jordan got home from school and VB practice, she excitedly tried to explain a new program her high school is getting involved in this year; one she volunteered to participate in. She was having difficulty however articulating to me exactly what its purpose is. But she was so fired up about it she insisted we go to their website so I could see for myself. It’s called “Rachel’s Challenge” and by the time we got through just the video portion, we’d gone through quite a few tissues.

Today at school, Rachel’s father, Darrell Scott, came from Colorado to introduce the program at an all-school assembly. This was followed by a peer training session for about 50 kids who have committed to the program.

Today’s assembly will quite possibly go down in our school history as the most spellbound and inspiring presentation ever attended. I’ve heard from several people who were there today that you could literally hear a pin drop. That’s quite uncommon in any high school gym, especially one filled to capacity with 1600 kids. But even more relevant is that Rachel’s message, that kindness and compassion can and will replace violence and rage, made an immediate impact on these kids. By implementing their program in schools across the country (and the world), the goal becomes to turn those traits into a lifelong mindset, and in Rachel’s words, “maybe start a chain reaction”.

I went to the parent presentation this evening with Jordan, and I also can’t seem to articulate in this small space tonight’s experience. I was simultaneously overwhelmed with grief and hope. Grief, as this man shared his personal and tragic story about the senseless death of his daughter, 12 other young people and a courageous teacher nine years ago at Columbine High School. Yet hope, because of his daughter Rachel’s ethics and codes of life, which ultimately resulted in a challenge to the rest of us; Rachel’s Challenge.

If you live in the KC area, Mr. Scott is doing another presentation at Blue Valley West High School tomorrow evening (8/28) at 7p.m.. If you can… please go! It’s an incredible story about a beautiful girl whose simple and logical outlook on life, has begun to change the world.

If you aren’t in the area, and especially if you have kids in school, check out their site and invite Rachel’s Challenge to your school. It’s a beautiful message but more importantly, “it inspires, instructs and enables students to bring positive change to their own school atmosphere”.