Rachel's Challenge: Community challenged to 'start a chain reaction'
Sports reporter
The Marion community was able to hear three times March 7 the story of a special student who died too early, but still changed the lives of millions.
Rachel Scott was the first of 13 people killed April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. Two students set bombs and sprayed bullets toward their classmates before ending their own lives that fateful day. It wasn't a coincidence it was Adolf Hitler's birthday.
The tragedy
Eight years later Nicole Nolen travels the country to talk about that horrible day. She explains to middle and high school students, some who have never heard of the shootings, the terrible acts of the two troubled teens.
But the former Columbine student who was shot that day as well, actually had a positive message to convey during her three presentations in Marion.
It's called "Rachel's Challenge," and it aims to mirror Rachel Scott's life. MHS counselor Phoebe Janzen heard of the program while attending a counselors conference this past fall. She heard Rachel's dad Darell Scott speak, and knew Marion students could benefit from hearing his daughter's story through Nicole.
Unfortunately, sometimes what she had to say was not always easy to listen to. One documentary during her presentation said even the most seasoned of police veterans on the scene were shaken up.
After Rachel died and the entire situation began to sink in, students who survived the attack described Rachel as one of the nicest people they had ever met.
Her random acts of kindness included sitting with the new girl at lunch, helping a boy who was being picked on, and just delivering a simple smile to someone who looked like they were having a bad day.
Nolen showed video clips, pictures, and interviews that described what kind of person Rachel was. She also had pictures of different diary entries Rachel had written. One of the most telling entries she had is the focal point of Rachel's Challenge.
Scott said if everyone would take the time to go out of their way for just one person each day, "you never know, you just may start a chain reaction."
Challenging everyone
During the presentations Nolen shared with the groups the five steps of Rachel's Challenge. The steps are easy to follow, yet could make a difference for people all over the world.
They are: Look for the best in people; dare to dream; choose positive influences; Acts of kindness=huge results; Start a chain reaction.
After the programs, listeners were asked to sign a banner that read, "I accept Rachel's Challenge." It contained hundreds of signatures.
Nolen and everyone else who was close to Scott, believes following these steps will help carry on the memory of a young girl who once said she knew she would die young, but still impact millions of people around the world.
Unfortunately and fortunately, she did both.
For more information go to www.RachelsChallenge.com.
