Rachel's Challenge teaches students lessons in kindness

CHAMPAIGN – What does it take to change the culture of a school, or a community, to reduce violence and bullying?

It's the little things – a kind word or helping hand from just one person – that can start a chain reaction that encourages others to do the same, according to a program called Rachel's Challenge.

At Central High School, that could mean helping a new student fit into the school, getting to know others you don't normally mix with, or expressing appreciation to those who are often overlooked, like cafeteria workers or custodians.

Central students learned about the Rachel's Challenge program Thursday. It is named for Rachel Scott, the first person killed in the Columbine High School shootings in 1999, and it is based on her diaries and an essay she wrote six weeks before she died about how one kind act can make a difference for someone. She believed in eliminating prejudice and reaching out to disenfranchised students.

Ms. Scott's father created the program after her death, and it's been used in high schools across the country and abroad as a way to encourage students to create a more positive environment.

The Regional Office of Education brought the program to Central through grant money it received for programming at the school.

Vernessa Gipson, the director of family, school and community services for the Regional Office of Education, described the timing of the program as "eerie," coming the week after Champaign teenager Kiwane Carrington died from a gunshot wound after a struggle with police.

"We think timing is everything. We hope this will be a kickoff for some healing for some kids who haven't quite figured out how to make sense of Kiwane's death," Gipson said.

"This is a way you can take the events of the last week in this community and start making your own individual change," she told students Thursday before they saw a video about Ms. Scott and Rachel's Challenge.

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.

"It made me think what could possibly happen to people to make them want to do something like what happened at Columbine," Claire said. "It also makes me sad to realize you can't help everyone."

After seeing the video and participating in a training session afterward, Claire was focused on what she could do at Central. She saw groups of students segregate themselves when she was in middle school, and she sees the same at the high school. The athletes sit with the athletes, and the drama kids, the band kids, the serious academics and the cheerleaders stay within their groups as well, she said.

Claire would like to see them get to know each other better, believing it would lead to less isolation for some students and less tension between groups of students. She's enthusiastic about a monthly "mix it up day" being planned, in which students will be encouraged to get to know others they don't normally socialize with.

Adam Northam of Colorado Springs, Colo., presented the program and did the training with students on Thursday. A former TV reporter, Northam is a good friend of Ms. Scott's brother Craig, who saw two friends killed in front of him at Columbine. Northam began working for the Rachel's Challenge program two years ago and visits about 60 schools during the academic year.

"It's been powerful," Northam said of the program. "It's a universal message. No matter what your background, kindness and respect is universal. We all want to make a difference, and that's what we inspire (students) to do."

The program provides activities and projects for schools to use to create and sustain a positive change, he said. They include a program welcoming students who are new to the school, sending letters of appreciation to particular groups or individuals in the school, creating an atmosphere that encourages kindness and the chain reaction service project.

The service project asks students to perform a random act of kindness for someone, then give that person a card encouraging them to keep it going by passing on another act of kindness. The project also raises money for two charities: one fighting childhood hunger in Haiti and the other providing cleft palate surgeries for needy children.

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