Rachel's Challenge returns for second successful year

WORLAND – Rachel’s Challenge has been a part of promoting kind acts every day through schools across the country the past 18 years, and on Monday, Sept. 16 and Tuesday, Sept. 17, the program came back to promote that message to Worland area schools.

The first year of the program tells the story of Rachel Scott and how she has been able to inspire millions, even after being the first victim of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999.

This story was told by her uncle, Larry Scott, who to this day still goes around preaching a message of kindness and positivity that Rachel sought to bring to the world.

“The sixth grade program is emotional,” Worland Middle School Principal Ryan Clark said. “I would say about three-quarters of the students end up crying because of this presentation, but they are in tears for a positive reason.”

The intent of the program, according to Clark, is to help promote kindness and doing that act of kindness every day to promote a community of caring and respect.

“I believe that this is the best age to get this message across for students,” Clark added. “Then after that initial message, the second year teaches students to build a culture of kindness, and start a chain reaction.”

The focus for the seventh and eighth graders this next year will be to make a chain of kindness that have positive messages that happened to them in school, and treat one another how you would want to be treated.

Along with the program’s impact, the community has shown tremendous support in helping make sure that everyone is able to have

access to anything that they need.

After the program first came through, Clark began receiving donations from students and community members alike, and has since created a store that any student can go in at any time and get what they need to be successful.

This room can provide students with clothes, deodorant, pencils, papers and anything that a student may need. This has helped the student body at the middle school be successful and inclusive, which was pointed out when Clark mentioned that new students had been accepted in to the middle school at a rate he has never seen before.

HIGH SCHOOL

Rachel’s Challenge came to give the second year program to all of the high school students, and Principal Wade Sanford felt it was tough for his students to hear the messages that came out of the program.

“It was a great message, a lot about forgiveness,” Sanford said. “I think it is a little tough for our kids because it is addressed towards the power of your words, some of our kids post on social media and that is a tough time to look in the mirror.”

Mr. Scott told the students about how Rachel’s brother Craig listened to racial slurs thrown towards his friend before he was killed the same day, and he told the students that even though you may use words every day, that are not appropriate to use spreading kindness has a larger impact.

The impact at Worland High School has primarily come through the Friends of Rachel program that was started initially last year after the first visit from Rachel’s Challenge.

Sanford mentioned that the Friends of Rachel group wrote messages on 9/11 this year thanking first responders in Worland for the job that they do every day in this community, and even had Police Chief Gabe Elliott come and work with the kids during a meeting.

The impact that this program has had the last two years has been noticeable in both schools, but Clark is not sure if they will bring back Rachel’s Challenge next year.

“Next year I am not sure if we will bring in Rachel’s Challenge again,” Clark said. “I would love to bring in another program that has a strong message about building a positive school community and teaching our students how to treat each other in school.”