Before Rachel Scott was killed in the Columbine shooting, she hoped to make an impact on the world around her. Now, her message has found its way to the students of Central High School.
Rachel’s Challenge, created by Scott’s father and stepmother, is an innovative program inspired by an ethics paper Rachel wrote shortly before her death, said Central school counselor Chelsea Long. In it, Rachel challenged the reader to reach out to people and withhold judgment, and Rachel’s Challenge encourages other students to do so.
“It is such a hot topic that it can get hokey sometimes, and this particular presentation makes it very relatable to adults and students. It is one of the few I’ve seen where the kids really get engaged in it,” said Central senior counselor Lindsey Ruggles, who encouraged principal Finley King to bring Rachel’s Challenge to the school after experiencing it at her former school in Alabama.
The initial impact the program had on the students was impressive, Ruggles said.
King said he hopes to bring the program back to Central, and encouraged all other schools to consider it as well.
Although the message is based off of what happened at Columbine, he said the message is just as relevant today as it was in 1999.
“If you open up any newspaper or go on any website, not only is Chattanooga having some sensitive times right now, so are other schools across the country,” he said. “This message never goes out of style.”
Because the program focuses on ideas students themselves can implement, Finley said the message is especially effective.
“And,” he added, “this isn’t just a grownup preaching at them. This girl could be any girl or boy in our high school – what happened to her could happen to anyone.”
Jake Whitaker, senior class president, said the program reinforced to students that before judging someone, they need to pause and think about what could be going on in their lives.
“It really reminded us that you can’t judge a book by its cover – it’s a lot deeper than that – and I think it touched a lot of people’s hearts,” he said.
Senior Ashton Cook agreed.
“We bonded as a school, really, and I took a lot from it,” she said.
To find out more about Rachel’s Challenge, visit rachelschallenge.org.