Rachel’s Challenge will be presented to all students and staff members at Voorhees High School on November 29 and at North Hunterdon on December 1. Rachel’s Challenge was created in memory of Rachel Scott, the first person killed in the Columbine High School shootings on April 20, 1999. Rachel’s acts of kindness and compassion coupled with the contents of her six diaries have become the foundation for this life-changing school program. She wrote in her diary, “I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion then it will start a chain reaction of the same.”
During the morning of each school’s respective day for Rachel’s Challenge, all students and staff members will attend a one-hour presentation (two assemblies will be held to accommodate everyone) that includes powerful audio/video footage of Rachel’s life and the Columbine tragedy, which is designed to motivate students to effect positive change in the way they treat others. After the morning presentation, 100 students and fifteen staff members at each high school will be selected to attend a 90-minute training session. The morning presentation creates the “want to” or desire for positive change. The training session teaches the “how to” and ensures that the positive impact will continue.
In addition, Rachel’s Challenge includes an evening program for parents and community members. This session will be similar to the morning presentation and will end with a specific challenge to parents and community members, showing them how they can reinforce the decisions their youth are making. Parents of elementary and high school students, and interested community members, are invited to attend the evening program, which will be at Voorhees on November 29 starting at 7:00pm in the auditorium and at North Hunterdon on December 1 at 6:30pm in the theater.
This program has been seen by over 11 million people. Please visit www.rachelschallenge.org for more information on Rachel Scott and the program.