Listeners wiped tears as Craig Scott told of surviving the massacre at Columbine by crouching under a desk. His sister Rachel was the first one killed.
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SKIATOOK, Okla. - Skiatook is one of many districts returning to class on Thursday and administrators there want to start the year off right.
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"This meant more to (the staff) than anything," she says. "I've had parapros, teachers, administrators, custodians swing by the room and say 'that was so great.'"
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"The students and faculty at OHS have embraced Rachel's message by creating a chain of kindness, by sharing how much they care for one another, keeping journals of their experiences, recognizing positive actions, showing respect to people no matter...
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This spring, a 16" X 32" mural was created by Roxbury High School art students, the theme inspired by Rachel Scott, the first student killed at Columbine High School.
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Rachel's Challenge is more than a school assembly. The program gives teachers and students training on how to start clubs that work to bring a culture of kindness and compassion to the school and the community.
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"I track the number of office visits - students who need a time out, students who need some direction to make a better choice. Our office referrals from a year ago to today are down about 60 percent," said Canny.
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"Some of the girls were so excited about the program they didn't want to wait until next year," Brown said. "We decided to create posters next week to thank the bus drivers."
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"I had PTA from the elementary school say that they wanted to do a chain at their school, so that's the reaction," Sherman said. "It's kind of like that commercial where one person sees someone doing something nice and then they do it...
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"Since Friends of Rachel started, I definitely see students more willing to talk about bullying and be supportive of one another," guidance counselor Ralph Hunnewell said.
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To make a difference sometimes you have to think big. "We're proud that we got it done," said Sarah Skinner, a 12th-grader. Northfield High School students are making a statement about being nice - something too few of us focus on.
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They joined thousands of links together on the last day of school as the students sang a song about being kind to others.
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Normally, assembling our large class into the gym only causes problems, but Rachel's Challenge was the exception. Crowded on those bleachers, we became closer as a class as we listened to the tragic tale of Rachel Joy Scott...
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"I want to touch other lives of people. I want to make a difference. I just want to do something that's going to lead to a better world," Elisha Thompson, a sophomore at the school, said.
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"It really inspired me - I was sitting at the top of the bleachers, and I saw people crying, it really got to me," said eighth-grader Jessi Hahn. "Once you see how Rachel changed the world like she did, you realize you can, too, as a student."
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The chains in the classes and grades ranged from 100 to 1,000 links. Another student said, "The most exciting is we signed a banner that said if we accept Rachel's challenge and there are a lot of names on it."
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"As a district it's moving us in a really positive direction, reinforcing positive behaviors as opposed to just giving consequences for negative behaviors," Avers said. "I look forward to continuing the program."
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Being a rock star for a night and performing martial arts might not sound like the typical high school day, but La Quinta High School's Friends of Rachel club will host the 4th Annual Talent Show on Friday.
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Each link represented an act of kindness performed during the school year. It took 500 students about half an hour to pile the colorful chain in front of the stage.
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The links, more than 100,000 of them, were fashioned into chains and marched out onto the track at CHS at the beginning of Rachel's Challenge.
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Elementary students will present a set of more than 50,000 links representing individual acts of kindness and compassion.
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And, of course, he talked about Rachel's Challenge, a kindness and compassion program that takes a proactive approach to school safety.
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In an event at Catskill High School on Saturday, the tabs - which totaled roughly 3 million - were dumped into the backs of two pick-up trucks.
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"It has a real positive message. It's not simply: 'this is is bad, this is something you shouldn't do'. It's really positive."
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Parker believes in the importance of teaching today's students how kindness and compassion can go a long way. Had she not heard Scott speak, she wouldn't have been motivated.
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"It brings a real culture change to the school," Sugden said. "It really hits home with everyone, not just students but the community at large."
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About 100 students will march into Carroll High School's stadium tonight bearing tens of thousands of small symbols of the school district's efforts to promote kindness.
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"At the rally, they are going to bring them onto the field. We are estimating that we will have 50,000 to 100,000 links on the field, all representing acts of kindness in Southlake."
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"What amazed me the most was to watch the kids, the students, pulling together, working side by side, elbow to elbow. There wasn't one bit of drama today at all with all those students working....
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In less than a year after accepting Rachel's Challenge, Green Elementary has received the Eagle Service Award. Determined to carry on the principles of this challenge they have continued Rachel's Challenge by taking it into the homes...
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"Every chain link you see on this field represents one meal that is going to Haiti," she said. "So, let us welcome our students onto the field and begin our chain reaction to kindness and compassion."
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UK Rock band Brittle Bricks are set to tour Rachel's Challenge schools from September 2010 and hope to raise funds to promote Rachel's message and for the schools. Does your school want to participate? Contact www.brittlebricks.co.uk
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Kevin says he's seen a turnaround already, that some of the negativity is dissipating and hopes it lasts. His mission is to carry Rachel's Challenge through the rest of his life.
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Rachel's Challenge is the largest character education assembly in the country with more than 3,484 presentations last year. In lieu of this production, student council representatives created a three-day presentation which was shown on video...
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A group of Rosemount Middle School students is trying to make the world around them better one smile, one song and one batch of cookies at a time.
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Rockwall students and volunteers spent the day packing one million meals for the earthquake victims in Haiti. "Hundreds of kids are spending hours serving kids they'll never meet in third world countries," Scott said. "I just wish my daughter could be...
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The millionth meal was handed over to a Haitian representative Thursday evening. The presentation was also streamed live to the village in Haiti that will receive the meals.
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At Rockwall High School, those kindnesses come in the form of rice, soy and a host of other ingredients to fill bags that will eventually create one million meals to help starving kids in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
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Columbine Principal Frank DeAngelis said, "Even though they were in kindergarten, if you pull them aside and talk to them, they remember that day."
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"I'm so sure I'm going to bring this back to my friends,'' said Anabelle Denault, 13, a student at Highland Oaks Middle in Northeast Miami-Dade. "She's helped a lot of students. I want to be remembered like that."
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"Our goal seems unrealistic to many people, but it's to change the world, change the culture and climate to one of kindness and compassion," Darrell said.
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"There's a lot of anger in our students, and this program, this "Rachel's Challenge" event, is geared to re-think that," said Miami-Dade Parent-Teacher Association's Mindy Gould.
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Ira Jones Principal Ed Boswell said Hodges' powerful message is important. "I think it will wake up our bullies a little bit and they will address their own personal demons and concerns because that's usually why kids bully because they have their own...
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"I felt like it was really moving and learned not to take things for granted," Demaio said. "I'm looking at things with a new perspective." Her mother called it a moving and inspirational presentation.
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Today, students at East Lyme High School will listen to an hourlong multimedia presentation. Dana Scott, Rachel's sister, will speak about the Columbine shootings and what it means to accept Rachel's Challenge.
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If she could do it, why can't we all?" said Novelly. "Honestly, it's like a giant a recharge for your life. It gives you energy. And you can just spread it to everyone."
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Principal Russell Dyer said he invited the organization to help his school kick-off a three-year campaign to create a powerful, positive culture at Bon Lin Middle
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More than 500 suicides are known to have been averted. Violence and bullying in schools that have hosted Rachel's Challenge are documented to have decreased.
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...as students are being nicer to each other, requiring less trips to the office for discipline, and the program has actually changed hearts and the culture of their schools!" Kelley wrote in an e-mail.
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It's a very mature attitude. It's something that I think every middle school and high school child should see."
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In conjunction with this evening gathering, we are partnering with Rachel's Challenge and Kids Against Hunger in a pre-rally effort to package one million meals in one day to donate to the children of Haiti and the food shelves of the Dallas area.
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Ben Devaud, senior class president: "This teaches us to just be open-minded, keep our hearts open, keep mind open, anything's possible, and that's an important thing to learn and a thing some people seem to forget."
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Rather than resent the event that took Scott's life, her family and a growing group of supporters have chosen to use her story to make the world a more compassionate place.
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They were followed by David Cullen, the author of "Columbine," a book about the Columbine shootings in 1999. Cullen took the stage with members of Rachel's Challenge, a group founded in the memory of Rachel Scott, the first student killed...
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Rules and regulations are crucial disciplinary measures to confront the problem of bullying. However, I believe that combining programs like Rachel's Challenge with school policies, we can drastically reduce the incidence of bullying.
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Among those in attendance were Superintendent of Schools Peter Kurzberg, Mayor Joseph Sullivan, Police Chief Paul Frazier, Deputy Police Chief Russell Jenkins, and Dave Weber of Bellotti's office. "We feel that this is a genuinely valuable...
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Kilgore hopes that students he speaks to will give apart of themselves to others by routinely showing compassion and kindness. If just one person does that, he said, it'll all be worthwhile.
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Presentations are designed to motivate students to positive change in the way they treat others. They further teach adults and student leaders how to implement and sustain Rachel's Challenge...
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On May 6 the Rockwall Independent School District is partnering with Kids Against Hunger and Rachel's Challenge to package one million meals in one day that will be donated to the food shelves of the Dallas area and to the people of Haiti.
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Those "challenges" - spreading kindness and compassion, having the courage to pursue ones own dreams, and remembering how ones words affect others - have become the basis for the worldwide Rachel's challenge movement.
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"Every school right now is dealing with the issue of bullying," said Mary Thompson-Madonna, associate principal. "As the associate principal, I deal with kids every day who feel hurt. This is really to get the message of kindness and compassion...
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"Every day, we have the opportunity to be role models," Jelinske said, "to treat each other with dignity and respect."
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Mayfair's Friends of Rachel club started the Soles4Souls campaign at Mayfair in January, after discovering that Mr. Suttle had been collecting shoes from his classes.
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Ferro saw the presentation in Medfield this fall. After learning the touring non-profit speakers were booked solid for months, he set up an assembly date in April. "As soon as I went to Medfield I said, 'we have to have this at Walpole High School,'"..
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"I had read the preview in the paper and was intrigued by the difference this girl had made," Kananian said. "As a teacher, I am motivated to motivate my kids all the time. This will add to that, and help me learn more about their concerns.
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"Anyone who attends this incredibly powerful program will feel empowered through the message of the elimination of violence in schools and the community," Jasper said. "People will leave with skills on how to implement some of the things...
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Bullying clearly causes damage to people and a community. It keeps some students from attending school, and can leave its marks in personalities for years into adulthood. Nothing but good can come from bringing this program to our schools...
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Mayor Trish Kelley said she wants the chain to stretch at least three miles down Oso Creek Trail, brining Scott's words "You might just start a chain reaction" to life.
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Principal George Knights said that while a lot of other programs address bullying, Rachel's Challenge is different because it "creates a culture where it's cool to be kind." He said since the assembly there have been far fewer reports of bullying.
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"The Rachel's Challenge presentation really touched me and I am glad we have all come together for the goal of making our environment a better place. I've definitely seen a lot of changes for the better," said 16-year-old Alex Gague.
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Tymko was so impressed with the program, she said she just had to bring it to her family, and she told the students, like it or not, they are her "daytime family" and she hoped they'd pick up Rachel's message. "Having you be kind and caring...
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"Plan to be inspired, and bring a lot of tissues," said Rutkowski, a seventh-grade Language Arts teacher who was herself inspired by the Rachel's Challenge movement when she attended one of its events in North Royalton in January.
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Supporters of Rachel's Challenge include Bill Clinton, Elton John and Oprah Winfrey. More than 30 books have been written about Rachel, and a motion picture is planned. All middle and high school students are encouraged to attend the event...
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In November, Sweeney and a few colleagues attended a conference where the program was presented. It was then they decided they needed to bring the program to Casey County. "The message is to create a permanent positive culture of change," she said.
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Nowlen said one boy who was being bullied by other students felt despondent until Rachel showed kindness and compassion toward him. "You don't know what kind of an impact you can have on people," Nowlen said. "Words have the power to hurt and to heal."
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Her acts of kindness and compassion coupled with the contents of her diaries have become a foundation for one of the most life-changing school programs in America.
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"The positive gossip, I really believe that it can help the school because it will build everyone up. It will keep everyone from being down and just resort to being mean to others," said Jackson Hughes, eighth grade student.
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I believe that if we, as a community, showed the kindness and compassion to each other, as Rachel did to even those she did not know, then the world might be just a smidge better.
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"I love the program and I still feel very inspired and touched by it," Lefevers said. Her teachers say that Lefevers is a "natural leader," willing to take on a project and dog it to completion.
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All three boys said they will try to be nicer now that they've learned about the girl who wanted to be a famous actress someday, but was the first person killed at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999.
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Kindness and compassion are at the heart of the Rachel's Challenge initiative, and students in Rockwall ISD have been nationally recognized for their role at the forefront of the movement.
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"Look at me, I dress differently. Today really got me thinking about it. I'm already planning to find some kids in middle school that I made fun of and apologize."
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-- the morning assembly was over; many of the students were moved to tears, and the speaker got a standing ovation...much to the amazement of BHS Principal Christopher Dailey.
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Senior Austin Brandt, 17, said he hadn't thought much about the victims and was stunned to learn someone as kind as Rachel was among them. That made him realize how hard everyone must work to end violence, he said.
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"I see kids ... by themselves eating lunch," Day said. "I never really took the time to say anything to them. It kind of opened my eyes."
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Last year, Larry Scott said, the group did presentations at 1,400 schools and for more than 2 million students.
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"The students who saw [Rachel's Challenge] were really affected by it," said Laura. "It was a catalyst for change at Nashoba and people saw that."
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Principal Christopher Dailey wants to promote the program so that many people can experience the story of Rachel Scott. He also wants the community to know that BHS cares. "We'll do whatever we can to let people know the good things we're doing here,"
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"They're just counting down the days," Jennifer Weinstein, advisor to C-A High School's Student Council, said of her students Friday. After years of effort, "they are finally seeing the results," she said.
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Ever since the first time I saw Rachel's Challenge, my life has never been the same. I do more, I love more and I live more. I feel like I am a totally different person since accepting the challenge. I believe that I have the chance to make a difference..
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"Students walked away from this program inspired to become better people and to really touch the life of a person in a positive way," Zinober said.Several other students also felt the presentation offered them a valuable lesson and left the room ready...
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...hosted workshops and presentations at the JVS on several related topics, such as the dangers of cyber bullying. But the students have a general consensus that "Rachel's Challenge" had the biggest effect so far.
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Members of the BHS Friends of Rachel group collected the Valentine's made by students from Head Start, Finley-Oates and I. W. Evans and also blew up balloons to decorate in honor of National Salute to the Hospitalized Veterans...
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"Beth has always talked about it and now I understand why she does what she does with it," Becki said. "It really is a great way to offer students an opportunity to do the right thing."
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Senior Matt DeLong said Hamman's presentation was emotional and powerful. "I was blown away by how awesome she (Scott) was. It was moving," DeLong said.
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His sister's views on the world were the exact opposite of the two killers. They wanted to start a chain reaction of hate and violence, while she believed in starting a chain reaction of kindness and compassion.
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Grizzell students then joined forces with Welcome Warehouse to create Dublin's Friends of Rachel to promote the chain reaction of kindness in the community. "They have taken what Jeff did, and started a chain reaction," Jones said.
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"Our school is pretty good with, I guess, just being kind to each other," he said. "We want to build on that and expand on it more."
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"I will fund it myself next year if I have to," Patota said. "I just believe in this program so much. It really carries through with what the students do and how they treat each other through the school year."
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The program is one of the largest character education efforts in the country, with more than 3,484 presentations last year and more than 324 so far this year. Its web site says it is non-religious, non-political, and non-profit.
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"Rather than spending time on bullying and discipline and focusing on the negative part of things, we're gonna focus on the positive, and really help create this positive behavior support for the students here at Edgemont," says Dave Webster of Edgemont..
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"The thing I really liked was that the teachers said how fabulous it was," said Jessica Kraus, a teacher who helped organize the event. "The students gave them a lot of positive feedback."
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If silence was a discernible sound, the volume in the Fine Arts Center at Waxahachie High School would have been deafening as Craig Scott emotionally recounted his experience...
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"I'm glad to be embarrassed to raise money for such a worthy endeavor. I'm definitely 'taking one for the team' up here," said Franklin Middle School Teacher Scott Nutty...
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"We want to be proactive," she said. "There's nothing wrong with caring." Having the program in the school has already started to yield results as Herrera wasn't the only one pledging to be a kinder student.
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However, nearly 300 students, about a third of the student body, turned up for the second assembly, which began with them sharing their impressions of "Rachel's Challenge."
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"Really what the program does for youth is it engages them, when kids hear the story and see how easy it is to do it, they feel like they can tap into that power," Gamache said.
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Working together with her parents, Darrell and Sandy Scott, Dr. Burton spearheaded what is now the model district for a comprehensive kindergarten through twelfth grade Rachel's Challenge initiative, a kindness and compassion program...
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He's heard from hundreds of students who say that because of Rachel, they're being treated with more kindness at school.
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"Our hope is that program will help us with our building goal of ensuring that each student at Ross High School has strong relationships with other students and staff," Wildow said.
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"Environment wise, if you change the culture and you make kids feel welcome and then you can achieve those things educationally," he said.
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Though Rachel's story evolved out of tragedy, the message students received on Wednesday was upbeat, powerful and non-violent. Many said they were motivated to make positive changes in their lives and in the way they treat others.
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"Beattie helping Haiti," they chant as they hold out the collection containers. "Even one dollar will help," some students holler. So far, the Club has collected nearly $1,200. Anderson said the donations have ranged from a handful of change to a $200...
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More than 500 people filled the Moberly Area Community College Auditorium to hear Nichole Nowlan from the "Friends of Rachel."
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"Our organization has documented 10 cases where students planned to shoot others at their school or blow the building up and heard our presentation and had a change of heart," Craig said. "It is not easy for me to re-live this stuff, but it is worth it."
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The school started making chains in October and now has 5,726 links. "That's a lot of kindness," counselor Donna Graybill told the students.
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"We do a lot of things for respect and bullying, and this program really helps," said Principal Bruce Fraser. "It has made a huge difference."
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Students at North Royalton Middle School were brought to tears Jan. 14 as Craig described his sister, Rachel, and illustrated a challenge to show compassion, have positive influences, hold fast to goals and dreams and demonstrate kindness to others.
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The fallout of the tragedy has led to changes in school security, and how to look for warning signs in troubled students, but it's also left an impact in more positive and far reaching ways.
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"I've never walked into an assembly before where the kids were waiting silently for me to talk," Plymouth South High School Principal Patricia Connors said, referring to the Monday morning sessions at her school. "You could hear a pin drop."
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"Northwestern Middle School is excited about the opportunity to kick off Rachel's Challenge in our local school and the broader community as one more way of creating a foundation of positive thinking and positive acting community members of all ages...
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According to Scott, one of the things that makes Rachel's Challenge so effective is that it doesn't just focus on the problem. It offers a solution. "Kids are into it," Scott explained. "They want to know, 'What can I do?' "
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"It goes closely with the superintendent's mission, which is all about the idea of compassion, understanding and personalization. That's really why it fits in so well with the school system. It's talking about taking care of each other and building...
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Devenport adds, "Rachel has left behind an amazing legacy and a simple challenge to anyone who will accept it - treat others with kindness and compassion and you just may change the world you live in."
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The school has been searching for an anti-bullying program to run from kindergarten through 12th grade since the summer, and Rachel's Challenge was their answer.
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I have had the opportunity to view many student, parent, and community programs during my years of service in education. I can honestly tell you that this is by far the most life-changing and school culture changing event that I have ever been witness to.
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Nearly two months after having a presentation of Rachel's Challenge at their school, Elsinboro students are continuing to honor the program's mission to create a safe learning environment, improve academic achievement, and provide students with social...
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Volunteers regularly greet returning troops. This is the second year the Friends of Rachel club has participated in this activity. Roach students also recently collected 500 children's books for the USO library.
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"For kids to be in this group, following Rachel's Challenge is about being who they are and standing out in a way when maybe it's not the popular thing to do," Dohlman said. "Just doing things that put smiles on peoples faces."
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The Friends of Rachel Club wanted to do something related to homelessness, and rather than give out coats and hats they decided to "create a memory" - take the children "somewhere special, somewhere we make them feel important,"...
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...would like to hold a benefit to raise money for the family of their friend Ryan Orcutt of Brockton, who was a sophomore at the school when he died in a motorcycle accident last March. "A lot of the football players were inspired by the program,"...
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Craig says his sister always looked for ways to be kind and compassionate to others and that's the message he brought to the audience.
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"Rachel believed in when a persons heart is to be kind towards other people and have be compassionate to other people then there's not going to be any bullying there's not going to be any violence," Larry Scott said.
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"We don't want Rachel's death to be in vain," said Kelly Rappa, an assistant principal at the school who organized the event with teachers Mitesh Ghia and Melissa Yuhas.
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"I thought that, maybe instead of our captains (who) usually go out and shake hands with the other team's captains, that we can have our special-needs kids go out and shake the other team's captains' hands, and they can go out and wear Somers stuff...
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"This is a true and simple story about a teenager who believed she could make a difference," said Craig Scott, Rachel's younger brother. "She believed strongly in one word, and that word was compassion."
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"It's not just sad, it's motivational. I think that's the biggest piece," he said. "It's easy to do. It's not hard to be nice to someone, to reach out to someone. It doesn't take any training."
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Vitelli predicted that Scott's talk would be "one of the most powerful hours of your life." "All I can say to you is, 'Be very open-minded as you listen to this,' " Vitelli said.
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"It's a first step in improving the whole climate of the school, showing students that today could be their last day and to remind them to make sure they live life to the fullest," Feeney said. "They got the message...
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Junior Kelsey Goldberg said Scott "made people think about how they should change, so no one has to go through what he went through." "I saw people crying that I didn't expect would cry," said Goldberg, who is a member of both student groups.
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Friends of Rachel, a non-school sanctioned group of students at Minooka High School, have taken the challenge and meet with volunteer staff.
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"Mix it Up Day was a huge success and we are very thankful to the F.O.R. participants, the teachers who particpated, and all the students who made the day enjoyable," Haggerty said.
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"Considering the economy, we just wanted to do something for people who find themselves in a bad situation," Boisvert said. "The message of Rachel's Challenge is really powerful and this is just a small thing to do."
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After a presentation at a school a few weeks ago, one of the biggest bullies in the school - a student who had been suspended for 10 days already - came down in front of the audience and apologized for his actions.
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A paper chain link was developed last year, stretching from the McParland main site to the Annex with each link consisting of acts of kindness by students of nearly 7,000 links.
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While we have not had any Columbine-like instances in our community, the positive messages that Rachel community and student body - and can only help in keeping this type of tragedy from ever occurring here, especially as a result of peer pressure...
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When students are "caught being kind" they will be given a paperchain link to attach to a schoolwide "chain of kindness." Previous schools participating in the challenge have constructed chains miles long - a feat Tibbals school hopes to duplicate...
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Scott explained how Rachel Scott was known as a peacekeeper and she believed that showing compassion would start a chain reaction among students.
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"It's a very powerful and moving, and sometimes a life changing assembly program that they're going to see today. What they'll get out of this is something they can utilize day to day to make positive impacts with the people they love around them."
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"Tonight I'm going to share a simple story about a teenager who didn't get to do anything big in her life," Scott said, during a speech at McPherson College Wednesday night. "She wasn't a big movie actress or a leader of a company or organization...
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Student groups, like REV's Friends of Rachel Club, help organize activities and drives to help people they often times, don't know.
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"I had teachers say it was hard to come back to their classrooms and not do something (in relation to the presentation)," Dare said. "It was lunchtime after the second presentation, and several of the kids came in crying. It definitely had an impact."
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The Rachel's Challenge school program has prevented numerous suicides, drastically reduced bullying, and in three known instances in 2007 alone prevented a planned school shooting.
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The Friends of Rachel club also donated $1,414 to the nonprofit group. "The money will provide 8,282 meals to children who need food.
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"I had never seen these kids more compelled to listen, sitting intently," said MCHS Central Campus social worker Julia Nickel. Since then, many have been moved to make big changes in their own lives...
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"Rachel's story has such an ability to get to the kids hearts," Gamache said. "Rachel was a real person, and it's a real story. All the things she did were simple and easy."
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The program couldn't have come at a better time. My son had told me about bullying incidents at school a week earlier, after he asked if I had heard about Columbine. Of course, I knew about Columbine.
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Scott didn't just tell an inspirational story, he urged the students to choose positive influences in their lives, to write down and visualize their goals and to dream.
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"One senior stopped me and said it was the best assembly she has ever seen," said high school principal Mark Schultz. "We had some very at-risk kids describe the presenter as great and the assembly as amazing.
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"They were absolutely silent. Listened to every minute, could have dropped a pin. It was wonderful," said assistant principal Linda Groebner.
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Challenged to start a chain reaction of kindness last week, virtually every student at Clarendon Hills MS took up the dare, and they did this not with the begrudging, put-upon attitude that this age so often adopts but rather willingly and eagerly.
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"We had the program a couple of years ago and felt it had a positive impact on our school culture," Principal Joseph Venuto said.
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"The presentation was definitely eye-opening ... we want to emulate that through our group and step outside our comfort zones."
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William Brown, principal at the school, said a Chain Reaction club of about 70 students will be created to help spread the message of the program throughout the year.
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"I think all of us were impressed and inspired by his message," Matthew Burchill, a MHS junior, said. "A lot of times it seems speakers have this same rehashed message, but Craig really personalized his message.
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In memory of Chandler, the family is spreading the message of "Rachel's Challenge," a campaign named after Rachel Scott, the first one killed at Columbine High School in 1999.
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Since its inception shortly after Rachel's death, the program has visited 3,300 schools in 50 states and six countries, Hamman said. Asst. Principal Brad Scarbrough said King Middle participated in the program to improve relationships and create bonds.
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Testimonials from friends, letters and diary entries painted a much different picture of Rachel, who made a point of seeking out newcomers, the disabled and bullied classmates. These anecdotes led to the fourth challenge: Use kind words...
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Both Principal Coni McAllister and school nurse Lori Couch thought it was important to bring the program to the school, after learning about it at a DARE Conference last year.
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...a Grade 12 student at Rosenort School said "It's amazing to me that someone who was our age could have made such a huge impact on so many people. That is really inspiring to me."
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The Chainlinks Club is an opportunity for students to continue the chain reaction through programs and community outreach," Foran said. "We want them to know how to reach out to their fellow students and their community...
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"This is all part of kindness and compassion," Lucht said, "which is what the KC Club is all about. It`s teaching them leadership. This is how they learn."
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...(FOR) club is currently leading a collection drive for the children`s branch of Zanmi Lasante... hoping to send baby caps, lightly used soccer gear and stuffed animals to comfort and inspire these needy children.
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"If you want to get rid of bullying. you focus on kindness. If you want to get rid of prejudice you focus on seeing the best in everyone," he stated.
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Cody Peck, a senor at the academy, says, "I learned that chain reactions happen all over the world...
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Assistant Principal Lisa Nazzaro said, "You know you have hit home when you see seventh- and eighth-graders becoming emotional during an assembly. At an age where students can be so cynical, it's heartwarming to see them open up.
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"I am very pleased to host this event for my students. All students deserve to be treated with kindness and compassion, and my hope is that students will realize that change begins with them," Brown said.
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Community involvement is one of the club's focuses, so it added the cleanup project to its list of activities that includes reaching out to new students and helping around campus.
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...just before 10 a.m. on Friday morning; the common sound of chatter and laughter emanating from the room as each took their seat. More than an hour later, when the doors reopened and those same students emerged, the sight was quite different.
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The message hit home with a lot of students. About 120 gathered Monday afternoon to go through a leadership training called the Friends of Rachel club, a student group designed to carry on the message given to students in the morning assembly.
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...he said. "I want to reach out like she (Rachel) did." Grade 9 student Tyler Nichol was also touched by the presentation. "It is more of a reminder of Rachel's Challenge," he said. "It reminds me how to respect people and family members."
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"There were few students at the end who were not visibly moved," said Stissing Mountain High School Principal Tara Horst. "Several actually came up and spoke with Luke after the presentation."
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Middle school Principal John Fisgus said the response of the students to Rachel's Legacy has been fantastic. "It has been a great day," he said.
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Scott gave his talk Tuesday at Mercy High School. He's shared the story with almost 13 million other students across the country.
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"We're blessed to have to have had him here to speak to our students," Sumner said. "Kids are kids, but I do believe the students understand the message and make changes as a result of it."
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MARINA DANIEL, 12, seventh grade "I'm going to keep an eye out for kids who could use some help at the field where I usually play." "Maybe I can reach out to a bully with kindness and it will help them do better."
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This year, Carnevali hopes to join forces with a club dedicated to spreading kindness and compassion among the students. Called Friends of Rachel, the club grew out of Rachel's Challenge, which was started in honor of Rachel Scott...
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Central freshman Adriana Vega said the video touched her heart and made her want to change the world. It had the same effect on freshman Claire Johnson, but also raised many questions for her, such as why the Columbine tragedy happened.
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Scott's message underscores how important it is to teach students about the value of good character, he said. "We are so concerned about how our schools perform in the classroom and on tests, but we also have to take care of each other," St. Amand said
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This program is one of the most profound, passionate and powerful programs that everyone should attend. Students from several school districts in the area were there, and hats off to those administrators who gave their students extra credit...
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Audience members said they were impressed with the presentation. Scott was a poignant and still humorous speaker, who spoke frankly and from the heart. "The idea is to move from something tragic to focus on something positive," Scott said.
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"We absolutely jumped on the opportunity to have it back because we felt it had an impact on our entire study body," Troxell said.
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In the silence of the DHS auditorium, it was evident that students were impacted both by Scott's story, and the shocking series of events on April 20th, 1999. This reaction is typical of what Towle has become accustomed to.
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His answer to stopping the violence: "I focus on the answer which is compassion and kindness which I think are the antidotes to anger and hatred."
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The girls have heard and embraced Rachel's Challenge, an international school outreach program that aims to prevent school violence. Themes in Rachel's Challenge are expected to be woven into tonight's Drum Cafe event.
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"I heard recently from a teacher in Orlando, Fla., who told me (she has) been in education for 17 years and had never seen anything as powerful as Rachel's Challenge," Burch said. He added that teacher told him Rachel's Challenge "did in an hour...
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Some of the chains extend over a mile, with the longest being over three miles long. That chain represented 123,000 acts of kindness recorded by one school district, according to information about the program.
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The PBIS program is one of many school initiatives across the nation inspired by "Rachel's Challenge," a bullying and violence abatement program founded by Darrell Scott.
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A number of students, including senior Jenna Jaymes, of Bartlett, took part in training to help integrate the Rachel's Challenge program into the school. "I'm always looking for service hours," Jaymes said.
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Most of the students and teachers responded positively, claiming that Rachel's Challenge was an inspiring and influential presentation to teenagers. "It changed my perspective. I already knew that people should act kindly, but Rachel's Challenge...
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...and he thinks Rachel's Challenge of a chain reaction of kindness is a perfect fit. "We have already had reports of several acts of kindness," Edwards said. After the morning assembly, students could join one of four chain-reaction clubs...
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They gathered in the old elementary school gym to create an art project of their hand prints that will be displayed throughout the school year. When it is done, there will be 530 little hands raised in permanent praise of being kind.
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The Friends of Rachel Club at BHS will be creating a "Patriot Hall" at Bonham High School to honor Bonhi graduates that are currently serving or have served in the US Armed Services. A 5'x8' framed USA flag will be hung in the hallway across...
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"I'm going home tonight to start a journal," junior Jorie Struck said. "In high school, it is hard to decide what you want to do with your life and this presentation has helped me on what to do to decide by setting goals and spreading kindness."
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"I think this will be good for our community," said Cleve Sexton, an Ore City senior who plans to be part of the group. "We have a lot of people who get picked on and who aren't treated right. Hopefully this will start a chain reaction."
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"We have spoken to people from other districts who have seen this program in their schools, and it's very powerful," he said. "The message that the kids get out of it is to try and make a difference everyday in a better way," Swanson said.
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Today, at Dawson High School in Pearland, a victim of the shootings is having an impact. "I feel inspired to be a better person" Student Joanne Bruno said.
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"I hope that a presentation like this inspires people to take a kinder, more compassionate approach in life," Ms. Kinne said. "And hopefully things like Columbine can stop happening."
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"I believe in what Rachel thought," she said. "I'm going to start a chain reaction just by being nicer to people at school and being more respectful of people."
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Mannix Leach, 12, a seventh-grader, said he now considers Rachel a role model. "She was a great person because she helped people reach their dreams," he said.
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"We really want to see a strong showing of support by the community," said DiLorenzo. "The message is very clear that how you see and treat others is very important."
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"It made me feel like I ought to drop all my grudges and just love everybody,'' she said. Sophomore Kadejha Russell said she is going to change the way she talks to people and stop judging.
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Rachel's Challenge was so successful last year, students, faculty and community members will again be able to learn about eliminating prejudice and choosing positive influences when the non-violence program returns next month.
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Rachel kept a journal, many of her writings focusing on how one act of kindness can impact someone in a major way. She also shared a vision of one person going out of their way and how it can start a chain reaction.
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Rachel's Challenge presenter Todd Lauderdale talks about the similarities between Rachel Scott, right, and Ann Frank during presentation at Glendale High School on Wednesday.
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Students listened to stories about Rachel, but also life lessons that were demonstrated in her life: appreciating everyone and mocking no one, treating others the way you would want to be treated, and spreading "positive gossip" about people...
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Rhea Elementary is off to a "Rockin" year and the students were eager to show it at the recent Rachel's Challenge Kick Off!
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"It really opens your eyes," said Hannah Bogue, a seventh-grader. "You've got to take every moment you have ... and soak it in. You don't know what's going to happen next. Always leave a good impression."
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This award-winning program, based in Littleton, Colo., and founded by Darrell Scott, Rachel's father, has reached 11,000,000 people in 50 states and six countries. It has prevented numerous suicides, drastically reduced bullying, and in three known...
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"I can honestly say from my heart that the students from Marshfield High School have been empowered," she said through tears. "From my perspective of being a Marshfield teacher and resident, I'm looking forward to a great future."
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Junior Taylor Overman said the presentation was inspiring. "I think it is just so strange how obviously her life was planned out. She obviously had a meaning towards everything that she's done," Overman said.
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"It's great to start the school year with this message of kindness and compassion," said Angela J. Mass, Student Council adviser at the high school.
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"There are 30 speakers in all that travel nationwide to talk about the tragedy, but also (to ask) what can we learn from what happened," OGMS Guidance Counselor Cathy Glass said.
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Principal Ron McCarthy said that the school has started a chapter of the Friends of Rachel club and he believes that Scott's impact on the student body will be a lasting one. He was impressed by the throngs of students who showed up later in the day...
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Dare said the message is powerful and hopes more people are able to attend this year, adding she isn't worried about snow this time around. "I hope," she said, "we pack the house this time."
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"This is not about what you wear, it's not about the kids you hang out with. It's about who you are," Kayla said. "In people you realize that life is important. If you don't live it now, there is no going back, there is no second chance..."
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Now, Samantha said she wants to make sure nothing like that happens again - a goal she hopes is accomplished with today's presentation of "Rachel's Challenge."
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"To me this is what education is all about. It's giving our students all the basics they need to move forward. It is education, but ultimately it is about life," Francis said.
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"I want to dedicate this (program's) message to Abdiel Morales," Clevenger said. "... I want to tell him I love him and miss him. Everybody needs to let their friends and family members know that they matter to them."
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The initial introduction to Rachel's Challenge is very emotional and gives many details about the day of the shooting. The second year emphasizes Rachel's legacy and how her story inspired so many people to be part of the chain reaction.
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Charles has experienced the Rachel's Challenge program, and said it is a life-changing experience. "It is overwhelming," she said. "By the end of the presentation, I was crying my eyes out. It just made me want to run out and do something for someone."
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"It seems so simple when you think about it - just being nice," said Shana Delmonico, guidance counselor and Rachel Club adviser. "But as a campus of 3,000 students, that focus can be lost. The assembly really bonded the campus."
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So far, the students' response, by many reports, has been overwhelming. Many youth have been moved to tears and deeply inspired by the message and some are carrying it home to share with parents.
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Students signed up for more training and others signed a poster saying they would take on at least five challenges. Asked which she would tackle, Normal West student Sara Motsinger replied, "All of them."
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Students and teachers wiped away tears as they listened. When it was over, a line of students waited to greet Scott.
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'Rachel's Challenge' mission statement is "We exist to inspire, equip and empower every person to create a permanent positive culture change in their school, business and community by starting a chain reaction of kindness and compassion."
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"You could see the change in the audience," she said. "It made me proud when I had the chance to help a classmate that lost her brother suddenly last year, but it also makes you realize there is more that can be done..."
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"I really think that because we're shown somebody who's our age that actually made a difference in their lives, that this will affect us," said Ishpeming sophomore, Alina Karuzas.
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Scott's message of spreading kindness and breaking down barriers has never been as loud and her goal of challenging others to live a happier, friendlier life was heard firsthand by those at Maloney High School Wednesday morning during a presentation...
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Teachers and students at Webb set the goal of doing 2,000 of those small acts of kindness this semester. Each grade was assigned a different color and when students act kindly they add a construction paper link in that color to the school's chain.
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He also said she believed her life would impact thousands of others. Judging by the standing ovation Kutztown students gave her message on Monday and the hugs Scott received afterward, Rachel will never know how right she was.
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"They are the ambassadors for perpetuating the mission of spreading compassion and kindness throughout the school," said Collins. "They've done a lot of great stuff and they've really taken hold of how to better transition eighth graders..."
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Principal Diane Russell was pleased with the number of students who stayed after the rally to hear about joining the Friends of Rachel Club. She estimated about 75 percent stayed.
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"Children at home are talking about it," she said, noting an anecdote a parent told her. On the way home from a soccer practice, a child said to another, "I don't think the other team knew about Rachel's Challenge because they were not very nice."
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Rachael's Challenge is continuously working to inspire a positive response in communities like Binghamton, trying to heal from extremely difficult situations.
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"We have 153 documented e-mails from students that said they were planning to commit suicide and told us their lives have changed because of our program. We know of seven school shootings that have been prevented."
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It brought students and staff together, connecting them beyond what he thought possible, he says. "Students that I had never seen acknowledge each other - let alone talk to each other - were supporting each other and having conversations."
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One of the most memorable moments at the academy was a speech by Craig Scott, one of the survivors of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, the students said. Scott, who lost his sister, Rachel Scott, and many friends in the tragic event...
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After thousands of nominees from across the United States and Canada were narrowed to 90 finalists... The Colorado Rockies' "All-Star" is Darrell Scott of Littleton, Colo., chosen by fans across the nation for starting a nonprofit that inspires students..
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...she teamed up with Freetown-Lakeville Middle School Friends of Rachel Club to collect six overflowing boxes of animal supplies and $267 to donate to the Lakeville Animal Shelter.
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Christine Schexnayder, a 15-year-old Leadership Academy participant from Lutcher, said Scott had spoken at her school not long ago. Afterward, she said, the school changed for the better. "Talking about his family and how his sister stood up...
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The first Rachel's Rally in Bonham schools was held May of this year and they had a full gym. The chain reaction for the Bonham students had 12,550 links representing one (1) act of kindness. This has allowed the students to recognize...
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A survivor of the Columbine school shooting spoke at Nicholls State University today, challenging his audience of young women to emphasize compassion in their lives.
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In school, she was involved in Rachel's Challenge and Junior Admissions. Rachel's Challenge is a nationwide organization devoted to make high schools less 'cliquey' and more friendly.
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From collecting 145 pairs of eyeglasses for those unable to afford them to helping new students feel welcome, the Friends of Rachel chapter at Follansbee Middle School took on a variety of projects in its first year.
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Many took to the program with great enthusiasm, bringing along some positive changes that endured throughout the school year, Scholl noticed. Rachel's Challenge served as a positive experience at McParland, culminating in last week's chain link event..
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...Superintendent Scott Lampinen welcomed everyone to the first Rachel's Challenge Field Day and said, "Notice I did indeed say first annual. This is the first, so we've got more to come."
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"Our goal back then was to create (a chain) link from the Annex to the main site," Borgeson said. From here, he's hoping that the Rachel's Challenge will create that rippling effect, continuing next year and beyond. "This is a life-long challenge...
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Bennion Junior High School accepted Rachel's challenge with some phenomenal results. On Thursday, May 21, students produced evidence of how the entire school climate has been affected by the challenge.
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Once the chain is linked up, the students will parade around the field on the main campus while holding on to the colorful cards "to see the full length of it," Borgeson said. "It will be exciting to see how long it is because we have a lot students...
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Teenage girls wearing black pants and black lipstick ran to embrace their friends, who in turn squeezed them back tighter and began to cry. Parents hugged children sitting nearby and passed around tissues so their burly, athletic sons could dry their..
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They spent about a month collecting 48 teddy bears - each with their own birth certificates, made personally by 7 and 8 graders at the school - to donate to sick kids at the hospital. Operation Teddy Bear started with the schools' Friends of Rachel...
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"Throughout history, stories have been the catalysts for change," said Rachel's Challenge chief executive officer Rob Unger. "Rachel's story creates an intense personal response and makes people want to connect to each other and to do something."
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More than 100,000 of the figures, called Kindness and Compassion Friends, were presented at the rally, carried into the cavernous sanctuary strung on frames.
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"You would see kids would push in chairs for teachers and help teachers with whatever they needed." Nick Follmer, 14, said he thought the atmosphere at the school improved when students were trying to be kind.
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The challenges Craig Scott presented in "Rachel's Legacy" were to respond to the needs of others: appreciate people and let them know; be a "first initiator" be a "see-through-er" not a "look-at-er" and start your own legacy.
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...this was exercise in kindness and compassion. That's the mission of "Rachel's Challenge" -- a program named after Rachel Scott who was the first victim in the Columbine massacre. The Gibbon students hoped for a chain reaction.
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"I believe Rachel was treating others in the way she wanted to be treated," said Nowlen. "People sometimes think she was perfect, but in her writings she talked about her ups and downs too. She just always knew she wanted to make an impact on the world."
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Prepare to be inspired as San Diego entrepreneurs and philanthropists come together for an evening dedicated to raising support and awareness for the Rachel's Challenge Foundation...
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The Century High Rachel's Challenge members said they also traveled to nine other schools in Rochester, hoping to start a "chain reaction."
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"It has been an inspiration to be involved with Rachel's Challenge the past two years," says Bre Kluck, a Century senior. "We have not only spread kindness throughout our own school, but expanded Rachel's legacy...
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Today over 2,000 students gathered at Bonham High School to remember Rachel and celebrate her life. They made over 17,000 kindness links, written messages about good deeds. Those messages are eventually linked together.
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So why don't we start by taking baby steps. I recently learned of a grassroots approach called Rachel's Challenge, named after Rachel Scott, the first victim of the Columbine shootings. The motive of the program is how to teach acts of kindness...
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This compelling presentation had some audience members wiping away tears. Unlike most school programs, you could have heard a pin drop. The cornerstones of Rachel's Challenge include eliminating prejudice from your life, keeping a journal and keeping...
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The challenge asks students to eliminate prejudice and choose positive influences. Hundreds of local high school students attended as the nationwide tour made a stop in the Valley.
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In partnership with Rachel's Challenge, in August 2008, the Bonham Independent School District began a kindergarten through 12th grade kindness and compassion initiative. The over-arching goal of the program is to show students that ONE act of kindness..
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"As a parent and as a community member, on behalf of a lot of this, this is a great program," Greg Beauchamp said. "This is fantastic to have in our schools. If we expect kids to show kindness and compassion, we have got to teach it to them."
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"The kids in Friends of Rachel are wonderful, dynamic and self-motivated. When you give them an idea, they run with it," said Sue Toolin, a guidance counselor and eighth-grade Friends of Rachel adviser.
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Burton noted that this year, "we have a 7 percent increase in relationship of their feedback to us as relates to safety at school and being a place of respect. All the comments are about Rachel's Challenge."
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"I would really like to treat others a lot better than I have been," Jerrica White, another Belleville Henderson junior added. "I know I'm not going to be here forever and it's really going to make an impact on other people if I'm positive towards them...
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On Wednesday, the school's 600 students stretched the chain around the block as a helicopter hovered overhead, taking aerial pictures. Michele Rebert, a parent, smiled as she watched children stretch the chain down the sidewalk. "It inspires me...
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Middle school students are organizing the dance. Rather than planning a night of fun for themselves and their friends, seventh- and eighth-graders in the Friends of Rachel Club are reaching out to get senior citizens out on the dance floor.
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As part of the latter point, he entered fully in the kindness and compassion program Rachel's Challenge, and helped lead expansion of the program into the elementary levels, where it had not existed before.
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...created a sculpture with materials from the recycle bin and the community service group Friends of Rachel offered yard cleanup services to two families in town.
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"We were just floored," Young said. "The program was just amazing." Young said a few students actually asked if they could be taken to apologize to another student they had picked on earlier in the day.
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...whether or not they targeted specific people or wanted to kill everyone, does not and should not take away from the memoriam of the victims, and it definitely doesn't take away from the amazingly positive outcome that is Rachel's Challenge.
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More than 200 people gathered on the La Quinta High School football field to create a human peace symbol to represent tolerance, peace and equality. The event was organized by Friends of Rachel, a La Quinta High nonprofit community service club.
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PSHS Principal Patricia Connors worked valiantly in order to obtain the program for her students. She felt it would make a tremendous impact on the entire PSHS community and said this goal was achieved.
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A group of six students at La Quinta High School are challenging themselves, promising to spread kindness and become positive role models. They are following the path set by Rachel Scott.
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Friends of Rachel at La Quinta High strives to create a chain reaction of kindness by promoting tolerance.
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The school audience was silent as they were ushered through the emotional journey of the slain teenager. Powerful video footage of the actual event was coupled with essays and diary entries written by Rachel herself.
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Rachel's Challenge has seen such a positive response in the K-12 education world that the organization has decided to expand to provide programs for colleges and for corporations to spread even more kindness and compassion.
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Scott told co-anchor Harry Smith he's "taken what's happened, and taken the story of myself and my sister into schools with a program that my family started, called Rachel's Challenge. And we've seen an immense amount of good come from that program...
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She now speaks in schools across North America as part of a non-profit group called Rachel's Challenge. "It's about treating others as you would like to be treated and it's a very universal message."
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Rep. Ken Summers, R-Lakewood, drew attention to the organizations - such as Rachel's Challenge, named after slain student Rachel Scott - that have sprung up to advocate peace and compassion following the tragedy.
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That's when he brought the national program "Rachel's challenge" to the school. Rachel Scott was a Columbine student who spoke out against bullying and encouraged kindness - she was the first person shot and killed at the school.
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"When I saw the documentary on Rachel, I wanted to be like her," Beatriz said. "I wanted to change everything, I wanted to do so many things to change the world ... by doing little things to make a difference in the world.
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Next time when he is driving to a job and some impatient driver wants to cut in front of him, Mr. Garnett said he would back off and wave the driver in. The courtesy and compassion would come back, he said. "It just goes around," Mr. Garnett said.
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His decision to stop "portraying a tough guy and show more kindness" came after he heard about Rachel's Challenge - a program that has impacted millions of people around the world.
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It aims to "motivate viewers to truly consider the way they treat others," according to a news release.
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Rachel's story is shared with as many as 80,000 - 140,000 students a week in live school settings around the country, inspiring and challenging them to become leaders among their peers and practically implementing positive change...
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At the end of the Rachel's Challenge Assembly, almost 500 students committed to carrying out the challenge, and a large portion of the student body left in tears.
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"It's incredibly powerful. It teaches youths how to respect and be kind to one another, how to be better students and better citizens and have a better overall way of life," Pinto said. "I think it's important that the whole community buys into it...
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"These kids are driven, I would say, in their beliefs of the change they can make," Felten Counselor Jo Dare said. The students who came Monday took turns telling the board how the program has affected their lives.
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The Friends of Rachel chapter at Dickinson High School is coordinating a Suitcases for Kids fundraiser for the Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Center.
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...two of the girls indicating that their mother was their role model with young Ms. Wheeler suggesting that Rachel Joy Scott, the first person killed at the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 was hers.
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My hero is Rachel Joy Scott. I never knew her, never talked to her, never laughed, cried, or joked with her. Her story, though, is what makes her unique.
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High School Principal Kevin Shanley said the program has received positive reaction from the students so far. "It's certainly making them reflect on the things they do and how they affect other people," he said.
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"We were really impacted as a whole by what we saw," student council member Lucas Turner said. "Afterward, we all signed a banner to recognize that we had accepted Rachel's Challenge."
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"I got a call around 3 p.m. [on Tuesday] from my daughter who said 'I love you,'" said parent Crissa DuCharme. "At first I thought, 'OK she wants something,' but then she said, 'Mom, there is something you have to come to tonight,' so I changed my plans..
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[This] program had been "very helpful. [This] program involves strategies to combat bullying. Evans addressed the board and noted that the 07-08 school years was a "low point for discipline" but that this year there has been a drastic change.
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"A few years ago, we were at a leadership conference in Boise and I had a few students that had attended the Rachel's Challenge session and they were so impressed and impacted by what they'd seen and what they'd heard," said Amy Bowie, Student...
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"It was evident our students felt the impact," he said. There was a profoundly attentive stillness in each of the presentations. 19-year-old Meghan Perea sat tearful in the front row during the evening event. "It's amazing how one person can...
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Last night, lots of people (including me!) gathered at The Idaho Center to hear more about Rachel's Challenge. It's a program about kindness and compassion that's impacted thousands of Idaho students this month alone in our schools.
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The kids were changed forever, Fisgus said. "It hit the kids hard," he said. "It changed the atmosphere of the school. We wanted to make it a community thing, and over 1,000 community members came to the assembly that evening. There wasn't a dry eye."
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"You do not really understand how powerful the program is until you sit through it with your students and staff members." Within two days of the assembly, she received many letters and emails from teachers and students explaining how the assemblies...
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It will be 10 years in April since the Columbine killings. It rocked schools across the country. But here on the Shore, students have found a way to turn tragedy into triumph.
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Signal Knob Middle school students are taking part in a program titled Rachel's Challenge. Rachel Scott was a victim of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting. Rachel's Challenge teaches random acts of kindness and was started by her parents...
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"It's hard to not be affected by it," Lewis said. "It just makes you realize that Columbine can happen anywhere, and even the smallest threats have to be taken seriously. We want to spread the word to prevent violence in schools."
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"Walking up and helping one person. Just picking them up in the hallways or saying hi can make a person's life. It can change their day or make a difference and change how they see the world," says Hayes. This program goes beyond just the words...
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Mansfield even donated her first 100 rings to Rachel's Challenge, a program started by Darrell Scott in memory of his daughter Rachel Scott, who was the first student killed at Columbine High School. Rachel's Challenge educates students in kindergarten...
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Darrell said that his group had received at least 100 e-mails from students who decided that they wouldn't end their lives because of what they learned and experienced through his organization. During the 90-minute presentation, some students cried...
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These volunteers will learn how to sustain the momentum created by the assembly. The assembly creates the "want to" or desire for positive change. The training session teaches the "how to" and ensures that the positive impact will continue.
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"How do you fight anger and hatred other than by kindness, respect and compassion?"
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"It really teaches you to really look at what you have right now and in one second it could be gone, so you should really look around and see what you have and who you have with you," said senior Segan Millard.
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More than 3,700 students in grades 9-12 will participate in Rachel's Challenge assemblies throughout March. One of the district's middle school's, East Valley, held an assembly and five elementary schools are using the Rachel's Challenge elementary...
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...Rachel's Challenge, which Adams said has had a tremendous impact on the climate at McFarland. "Rachel Scott was one of the first kids killed at Columbine," he said. "As a 15 year old, she was a tremendous influence at the time...
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By the end of the event, members of the audience were in tears, stood up and gave a standing ovation. "It was phenomenal, the love, care and compassion she showed is something I hope to emulate in my own life," said sophomore Nick Elledge.
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"I'll probably be nicer to my family because I sometimes yell at my sister," said Danielle Frei, Freshman, Marsh Valley High School. "I gained a perspective. I don't really make fun of people, but I poke fun and I think that I should not do that,"...
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"But you have no idea how big it is for us and how much it means." The 1,000 cranes came about as part of a new school club, called Rachel's Challenge.
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The campaign will continue at 43 other schools in the Treasure Valley, Twin Falls and Pocatello areas. The campaign will conclude with a march for youth, community and family night at the Idaho Center. It's free to the public and all ages are welcome.
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All involved are praising Rachel's Challenge for the inspiring story and overall message of compassion it brought to students and the community as a whole. "It was fantastic," Tymko said, wiping the tears from her eyes as students...
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Cathy Tymko, principal of the Edward Schreyer School, attended a Rachel's Challenge presentation led by Scott's father, Darrell Scott. She was so moved, impressed, and inspired by the presentation she decided to try to bring it to our community...
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This student assembly, as well as the evening presentation, includes speakers and features a powerful video/audio footage of Rachel's life. The assembly encourages individuals to be kind, considerate, tolerant and accepting of all individuals.
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"Students connect with her life, accept her challenges and model her behavior. The program creates real sustainable momentum through kindness and compassion."
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The anniversary of the shootings is April 20. Scott, 59, has made his late daughter's story an international movement, reaching millions of people worldwide through books, films, documentaries, TV shows and speeches.
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Yes, it did happen. Yes, it could have been prevented. Let's turn the tables and talk about how we treat people because the two young men who did it were mistreated by a lot of their classmates, Nowlen said.
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When students do something nice, teachers record it on a construction paper link that becomes part of a "chain reaction" of kindness and compassion. At the end of the school year, the campus chains will be joined together. Rollins ordered 110,000 links...
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O'Connell said Rachel Scott's challenge to be respectful, considerate and to see the positive qualities in others is an "inspiring, meaningful and moving message."
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But there was one message he wanted them to remember above the others. "To treat other people the way we want to be treated. It's the golden rule in action," Scott said.
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Student Mike St. Clair agreed with him, noting that he would have to take some time to really absorb it all. "It makes you think about being thankful for the friends you have," he said. "It is a really powerful story."
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Sophomore Hannah Gould agrees. "I think this was just showing us that people are people and we all have feelings to just show a little kindness it goes a long way."
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"Having the programs definitely makes the children more aware of the social issues that are in their community," Ms. Santos said. "The fact that they could contribute in any way or help their peers is gratifying, and it empowers them to help others."
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Carroll ISD fights back against bullying, adopting Rachel's Challenge
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Rachel Scott was the first person to be killed at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. Her acts of kindness and compassion, coupled with the contents of her six diaries, have become the foundation for one of the most life-changing school programs...
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Scott continues to carry the message of her younger sister's vision that acts of kindness can cause a chain reaction that ultimately can change the world. Secondary schools across the country now use Rachel Scott's five challenges to become safer...
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The Ernie Davis Middle School Friends of Rachel Club is working on two projects. The group is making buttons for the National No-Name Calling week...
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The overall culture of the school has been getting better, Theresa Pallotta added, and although it still takes place, student Sarah Haigh said the incidents of bullying have been on the decline at Hanover High.
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Powerful audio/video footage of Rachel's Challenge holds students spellbound during a one-hour school presentation that motivates them to positive change in the way they treat others. This is followed by a 45-minute training session involving both...
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It is one of the most powerful moments I have witnessed in my work as a school psychologist. Freshman to seniors, boys, girls, in-crowd, out-crowd, black, brown, white - all were rapt with attention, touched at the right moments and respectful throughout.
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Rockwall ISD is in their second year of the program at all their campus and told the Carroll anti-bullying committee that they have seen improvements across the board.
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When middle school students exited the auditorium at Hayden High School on Wednesday morning, they immediately lined up to pledge their devotion to the ideals of a girl they will never meet.
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After her death, the boy told her family that Scott had saved his life by intervening, because he had planned on committing suicide that night until she showed that someone cared about him.
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"The way we treat people really does matter, it is these little acts of kindness that can really change things. We are not asking these students to do these big projects...
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"Confidence, motivation, and making their school a better place. And knowing that accidents and tragedies can happen anywhere and we need to learn from them," says Des Lacs Principal Karen Groninger.
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The challenge is based on the writings of Rachel Scott, the first victim of the Columbine High School shootings in 1999 in Littleton.
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This assembly has been seen by many schools throughout the country and I believe it has affected a lot of people my age. This assembly really showed me now you shouldn't take life for granted, and you should never judge anyone by the first impression.
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Kilgore, using words from Rachel Scott's writings, reminded the students that kind words and acts of kindness are important because "you don't know what that person is going through." He also urged them that by being kind to others and setting goals...
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Scott was the first person killed at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. Her diaries fit the messages King preached to the country.
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