The Darlington Community will hear a message of kindness and compassion when the Rachel’s Challenge organization comes to campus on Wednesday, Aug. 31.
“We are so excited to bring Rachel’s Challenge to Darlington,” said Jill Pate, director of personal counseling. “In an increasingly uncivil world, programs like Rachel’s Challenge reinforce the power we each have, everyday, to affect positive change in our homes, our schools and our community. We believe that Rachel’s Challenge reinforces our mission to instill in our students a desire to learn with passion, act with integrity and serve with respect. We are excited about growing our ‘chain of kindness.’”
The namesake of Rachel's Challenge, Rachel Scott, was the first person killed in the shooting at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. Her acts of kindness and compassion, coupled with the contents of her six diaries, have become the foundation for one of the most life-changing school programs in America.
“The one-hour presentation contains powerful footage of Rachel’s life and the Columbine tragedy that holds students spell-bound and motivates them to positive change in the way they treat others,” Pate said. “The program for elementary students is, of course, different than the program for older students and will be age-appropriate for those grades.”
Founded in 2000 by Rachel’s father, Darrell Scott, Rachel’s Challenge is a bullying and violence abatement program. Each year, more than 1.5 million students experience Rachel’s Challenge and have the opportunity to accept the challenges, modeled after Rachel’s life and writings. The Scott family and other certified presenters have spoken to over 15 million people in live settings, and have reached millions more on popular media outlets like CNN, Fox News, “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America,” “Larry King Live,” “Oprah,” “Dateline” and numerous other shows. Darrell Scott has also authored three books, including the bestseller “Rachel’s Tears.”
Inspired by Rachel’s Challenge, Atlanta TV station 11Alive is seeking to spread the message of kindness and compassion by building a chain of kindness. Their mission is to set a record for the largest chain, with each link representing a kind deed.
“As a community, Darlington has jumped on board with this project and we hope to be able to add a significant number of links to 11Alive’s chain,” Pate said. “If anyone needs extra links, they can see me. We hope to see chains of kindness in classrooms, offices and residential halls school wide.”
The Middle School will hear Rachel’s Challenge on Aug. 31 at 8:30 a.m. The Upper School assembly will take place in Morris Chapel at 11 a.m. The Lower School assembly will take place in Tiger Hall at 2:15 p.m.
For more information, visit www.rachelschallenge.org.
