Each day 160,000 students do not go to school because they are bullied, teased and harassed. By turning the story of a tragic death at Columbine High School into a mission for change, Rachel's Challenge is helping create safer learning environments and making a world-wide impact.
Rachel's Challenge is a series of student empowering programs and strategies that equip students and adults to combat bullying and allay feelings of isolation and despair by creating a culture of kindness and compassion. The programs are based on the writings and life of 17-year-old Rachel Scott who was the first student killed at Columbine High School in 1999. Rachel left a legacy of reaching out to those who were different, who were picked on by others, or who were new at her school. Shortly before her death she wrote,
"I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little kindness can go."
Rachel's Challenge was started by Rachel's dad and stepmom, Darrell and Sandy Scott when they realized that the writings and drawings Rachel left not only had an impact on her friends and classmates, but also resonated with students around the world. Although Rachel was a typical teenager who even wrote about her "ups and downs," she had a passion and conviction that she would someday change the world. The Scott family knew her story and passion had to be told to inspire others to make their world a better place.
More than 19 million people have been touched by Rachel's message, and they continue the legacy of making a difference in their communities. Each year at least 2 million more people are added to that number. These are just a couple of the results of Rachel's Challenge. In one survey, 78% of students indicated they would definitely intervene in a bullying incident in their school after seeing Rachel's Challenge. In the last 3 years, Rachel's Challenge has received nearly 500 unsolicited emails from students stating that after hearing Rachel's story they reached out for help as they were contemplating suicide. Some even state that "Rachel saved their life".
The students at AVA will listen to the Rachel's Challenge assemblies this Wednesday. Due to the content, we have broken them into three separate assemblies; K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. The K-2 and 3-5 assemblies are very age appropriate and will not discuss the details of what happened at Columbine. The grades 6-8 assembly is very impactful as it will discuss what happened, show some news clips, and discuss the killings. All of this is done with the purpose of showing that from a horrific tragedy something good can come from it. It will be emotional and there will be plenty of tears. AVA will have our mental health staff available for students who may need some comforting after the assembly.
I brought Rachel's Challenge to my previous school, and it was transformative. The positive impact it had on the school was incredible. If you would like to find out more about Rachel's Challenge, you can visit their website here.
If you would like your child excused from the assembly, please email your child's homeroom teacher by the end of the day tomorrow, Tuesday, September 27.