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Meadow Hill Students Learn the Value of “Rachel’s Challenge”
Although she never knew Rachel Joy Scott, the first of 13 people killed in the Columbine High School attacks on April 20,1999, Kellen Hills of Colorado felt compelled to help spread Rachel’s message on to others. Hills, who attended a nearby rival school, knew friends and family members of friends who attended Columbine. She was just a sophomore when the attacks happened and remembers watching the events unfold on television while attending her sophomore English class.
Years later, Rachel’s father Daryl Scott was a guest speaker at Hills’ first job. Hills was so moved by his daughter and the family’s story that she decided to become a speaker for the program “Rachel’s Challenge.” “Rachel’s Challenge” was started to help make sure that Rachel’s death was not in vain and that even in death she would help change the world. According to Hills, “Rachel’s Challenge” gives middle school, high school and community presentations across the country and in other countries that focus on how Rachel lived rather than how she died. The program also just recently introduced an elementary school program to help students early in their formative years.
On Thurs., Oct. 2, 2008, Hills visited Meadow Hill Global Explorations Magnet School in Newburgh to spread Rachel’s message to the students and faculty. Although many of the students on hand were too young to remember the attacks at Columbine, a Power Point presentation given by Hills helped them better understand the events of that fateful day.
According to Hills, the events that day did not unfold as planned for the two gunmen Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Both of the boys were students at Columbine. The original plan devised by the two boys was to place two bombs in the cafeteria and have them detonate right before students were supposed to leave. Then, as the students fled, they would shoot them as they came out of the building. When the bombs failed to detonate, the angered boys instead entered the school with their guns leaving behind a devastating rampage. Rachel, who was sitting outside the building entrance eating with a friend, was shot and killed as they entered the building.
The Power Point presentation featured interviews with friends and family of Rachel, as well as an interview with her older brother Craig who was in the library with friends at the time of the shootings. He lost two friends that day in the attacks.
Friends and family interviews explained that Rachel was a person who lived her life by trying to change the world and hoped that one day she would make an impact. She was described as the person who would invite a new person to sit at her table, and if they declined, she would bring her friends to their table instead so they wouldn’t have to sit alone. She was also an advocate for the students in the school who were often bullied by others.
Following the account of the day’s events, Hills explained to students that Rachel’s goal in life was to make a difference. Rachel’s Challenge, started in memory of Rachel, aims to teach students the importance of the value of daring to dream, writing down and creating goals, keeping a journal, spreading kindness to others even if it’s just with something little, and overall making a positive difference even if it’s just in your own school.
“We overlook the little things that make all of the difference,” said Hills.
Rachel was an avid writer in her journal and filled several of them over her short life. Ironically, she had one with her that fateful day and a bullet ripped through the journal which was in her backpack. In total, there were four bullet holes that went through her backpack. Her journals and words were a comfort following her untimely passing and are a large part of the program.
In the years since the attacks that took his sister’s life, Craig decided to become a film producer to help make a positive impact in the media in contrast to the violent movies, video games and music that are sometimes popular in our society. Some believe that the violent images in video games, movies, and the media play a role in events such as the Columbine attacks. In addition, Craig hopes to keep the memory of his sister alive through the program and hopes that it might start a chain reaction through kindness to others as Rachel had so often hoped. “Kids need to know that their actions on others have an effect,” said Craig.
After nearly two years in the works, Meadow Hill Global Explorations School Assistant Principal Lisa Zazzaro, who got the ball rolling and helped to bring the program to the school after seeing it in California, felt that the program was a success. “This is an amazing program,” said Nazarro.
Years later, Rachel’s father Daryl Scott was a guest speaker at Hills’ first job. Hills was so moved by his daughter and the family’s story that she decided to become a speaker for the program “Rachel’s Challenge.” “Rachel’s Challenge” was started to help make sure that Rachel’s death was not in vain and that even in death she would help change the world. According to Hills, “Rachel’s Challenge” gives middle school, high school and community presentations across the country and in other countries that focus on how Rachel lived rather than how she died. The program also just recently introduced an elementary school program to help students early in their formative years.
On Thurs., Oct. 2, 2008, Hills visited Meadow Hill Global Explorations Magnet School in Newburgh to spread Rachel’s message to the students and faculty. Although many of the students on hand were too young to remember the attacks at Columbine, a Power Point presentation given by Hills helped them better understand the events of that fateful day.
According to Hills, the events that day did not unfold as planned for the two gunmen Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Both of the boys were students at Columbine. The original plan devised by the two boys was to place two bombs in the cafeteria and have them detonate right before students were supposed to leave. Then, as the students fled, they would shoot them as they came out of the building. When the bombs failed to detonate, the angered boys instead entered the school with their guns leaving behind a devastating rampage. Rachel, who was sitting outside the building entrance eating with a friend, was shot and killed as they entered the building.
The Power Point presentation featured interviews with friends and family of Rachel, as well as an interview with her older brother Craig who was in the library with friends at the time of the shootings. He lost two friends that day in the attacks.
Friends and family interviews explained that Rachel was a person who lived her life by trying to change the world and hoped that one day she would make an impact. She was described as the person who would invite a new person to sit at her table, and if they declined, she would bring her friends to their table instead so they wouldn’t have to sit alone. She was also an advocate for the students in the school who were often bullied by others.
Following the account of the day’s events, Hills explained to students that Rachel’s goal in life was to make a difference. Rachel’s Challenge, started in memory of Rachel, aims to teach students the importance of the value of daring to dream, writing down and creating goals, keeping a journal, spreading kindness to others even if it’s just with something little, and overall making a positive difference even if it’s just in your own school.
“We overlook the little things that make all of the difference,” said Hills.
Rachel was an avid writer in her journal and filled several of them over her short life. Ironically, she had one with her that fateful day and a bullet ripped through the journal which was in her backpack. In total, there were four bullet holes that went through her backpack. Her journals and words were a comfort following her untimely passing and are a large part of the program.
In the years since the attacks that took his sister’s life, Craig decided to become a film producer to help make a positive impact in the media in contrast to the violent movies, video games and music that are sometimes popular in our society. Some believe that the violent images in video games, movies, and the media play a role in events such as the Columbine attacks. In addition, Craig hopes to keep the memory of his sister alive through the program and hopes that it might start a chain reaction through kindness to others as Rachel had so often hoped. “Kids need to know that their actions on others have an effect,” said Craig.
After nearly two years in the works, Meadow Hill Global Explorations School Assistant Principal Lisa Zazzaro, who got the ball rolling and helped to bring the program to the school after seeing it in California, felt that the program was a success. “This is an amazing program,” said Nazarro.
Kellen Hills speaks to students at Meadow Hill Global Explorations School during the “Rachel’s Challenge” event. The program is designed to teach students about the positive impact that they can make in their schools and community by making good decisions in their life and by how spreading kindness and compassion can start a chain reaction.
Students from Meadow Hill Global Explorations School in Newburgh take a moment to sign the “Rachel’s Challenge” banner following the presentation on Thurs., Oct. 2, 2008.
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