I am officially on a war against crime, drugs and hatred. I decided this at the Rachel’s challenge assembly at Murray High School. This was definitely the climax of my whole week. How simply amazing everything about this was. So here’s the story behind it all.
On April 20, 1999 the worst high school shooting to ever occur happened. Columbine high school in Littleton, Colorado was the site where two young boys shot and killed 13 people and injured 21 others before turning their weapons on themselves and committing suicide. One of those people killed was 17-year-old Rachel Scott.
Rachel was an incredible young woman. Her standards, morals, values, and actions were different than many of her peers because of her faith in a higher power. Her faith in God made her a better person. Now I’m not here to push my or any other person’s beliefs on others, but the point is she lived a higher life because she knew she was here for a higher purpose. So whether you believe in God or not, I hope that you will see the good in living for the good.
A month before Rachel’s death, she wrote an essay called “My ethics, my codes of life.” In this paper, she said “I have this theory that if one person will go out of their way to show compassion, it will start a chain reaction of the same. People never know how far a little kindness can go.” Rachel’s entire life was filled with kindness, love, and compassion for everyone around her. Rachel Scott reached out to others and lifted them up. She was the girl that was nice to the new kid, stood up against bullies, and invited others to her lunch table to eat. Rachel was a shining example to her school and now the entire world of how we should all treat each other.
Now that Rachel’s body is gone from us, her spirit and family have carried on her message. They have started a program called Rachel’s Challenge. Her family and friends come to schools around the nation and tell her story. They invite us to take these 5 challenges:
1) Eliminate Prejudice and Hate
Look for the best in others
Give at least 3 chances before you make a judgment call on someone- you never know what someone is going through
If you want to look for the best in people, you can find it. The worst is there too. All you have to do is decide what you want to see
2) Dare to Dream
Keep a journal
Write down your goals
3) Choose positive influences
What we feed our mind is what we become
Those teens who killed and hurt so many in Columbine’s biggest influence was Adolf Hitler. Rachel’s was Anne Frank.
Give special attention to the disabled, the new, and the picked on or put down kids
4) Kind words and little acts of kindness show huge results
You never know how a smile or a kind action can change someone’s day
5) Start a chain reaction
This is where I disagree with Rachel. We can see exactly how far a little kindness can go, and I plan to prove it. With our paper chain, kindness cards, and hero cards, we will see how far kindness can go.
Now my plan with Rachel’s challenge
1) Make a literal chain reaction. Murray city is going to make a literal chain of kindness. I will be giving paper to all of the school and all of the residents. They will do acts of kindness and then turn those papers in to their nearby school or even to city hall where we will create a huge chain. We will link all of these chains together for the Arts Fest in early May so we can see exactly how far our idea has gone.
2) Kindness Cards. These cards will start in Murray and I hope they spread through the country. Do a kind act for someone else and give them the card. Sign your name on the back before you give it to them, then they will do the same. Once you’ve done your kind act, come to my blogspot and comment on my post with your feelings with what happened and where you’re from. I hope that we’ll be getting comments from Murray residents, then people outside of Murray, then people outside of Utah, and even people outside of the U.S. That, my friends, is the goal!
3) Hero Cards. This is basically the same principle as the kindness cards; however, it’s a thank you card for kind things other people have done. This is a way to thank those who never get enough gratitude for what they do every day (ie the lunch ladies, cops, your parents!) When you let people know they are appreciated, they are more likely to do an even better job the next time. Plus, it will make them happy!
So Murray City, please join me on my war against crime, drugs, and hatred. I know it seems like an impossible task to get rid of it all, but if we can change one person’s life for the better then this has all been worth it.
A little PS on all of this, I can’t believe how big of a difference this made in the high school in one day. During the assembly, students were invited up to the stage to tell their feelings on the subject. Oh my goodness it was incredible how the HIGH SCHOOL TEENS opened up! There were so many stories about how a little kindness can go so far. So many kids wanted to talk about it, that he had to cut the line short. What an amazing experience! They’ve now started a Friends of Rachel or “FOR” club to really put these challenges into action! You go Murray High! Thanks especially to the PLT and Ms. Waite for all of your help!
