WE ARE A RACHEL'S CHALLENGE SCHOOL  

“I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little kindness can go.”  Rachel Joy Scott

The mission of Rachel’s Challenge is to equip and empower students and adults to sustain a positive culture change in their schools and communities by starting a chain reaction of kindness and compassion.  This program is based on the life and writings of Rachel Joy Scott, the first person killed in the Columbine High School shootings on April 20, 1999.  Since its inception, over 23 million people have heard Rachel’s story in live settings worldwide.

Every year our 9th graders part-take in the Rachel's Challenge, "Chain Reaction" program.

Chain Reaction is a powerful, high-energy program in which youth and adult participants are guided through a series of experiential learning processes.  The overall goals of the program are to increase personal power and self-esteem, to shift dangerous peer pressure to positive peer support, and to eliminate the acceptability of teasing, violence, and all forms of oppression.  Chain Reaction programs are designed to unite the members of the school and/or community and to empower them to carry the themes of the program back to the greater school population.  This program successfully addresses the issues of violence, teasing, social oppression, racism, harassment, conflict management, suicide, peer pressure, alcohol, and drugs.

During the program, youth are given several opportunities to speak out about what’s really going on in their lives and what they need from one another. Please note that while the program focuses primarily on global and community issues and concerns, individual students can and often do share personal difficulties and experiences. Students should be aware that while confidentiality is one of the primary norms for program participation, we can never guarantee confidentiality on a large group level following the day (We do remind the participants of the importance of confidentiality).