OWINGSVILLE, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — In 1999, Columbine High School in Colorado was the scene of a mass shooting, and one of the victims was 17-year-old Rachel Scott.
To this day, schools work to spread Rachel’s message to the world through a program called “Rachel’s Challenge,” something that Bath County High School students now know about.
Read more of the latest Kentucky news Rachel Scott is an icon of kindness and compassion, which is the challenge’s mission.
The presentation came to Bath County High School Thursday, where students who weren’t even born at the time of the fateful day, like freshmen Eli Roloson and Levi Patton, were still impacted by the message.
“It’s almost like I knew her,” Roloson said. “The kindness and the spreading of that—that’s a really good message to leave.”
“Carry that helpful mentality,” Patton added. “Always take everything with a grain of salt. You may not know the person’s mindset at the time, but treat them with respect, like family in a way.”
During her life, Rachel was known for always going the extra mile to make everyone feel loved. After her death, roughly 30 million students, educators, and parents have heard the message, now including Bath County High School. Meichelle Gibson is a national speaker for Rachel’s Challenge.
“We do find that when Rachel’s Challenge comes into a school that although we are not officially an anti-bullying organization, we do see the results of bullying going down, self-harm going down, suicide going down,” Gibson said.
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Rachel’s story is known for leaving a lasting impact on those who hear it. Sheila Armstrong is with the district’s Gear Up program.
“I actually heard about this program through our college and career coach with Gear Up, Rachel Green, who experienced this when she was in the school in 2012,” Armstrong said. “She shared a bunch of information about it. We dug deeper and we both said, ‘Of course, we have to have this here.'”
After the message, students like juniors Ali Easton and Sierra Wells had the chance to sign a banner, accepting Rachel’s Challenge and keeping alive her legacy of kindness.
“I think it’s really important for just everyone to be as kind as you can to others because you never know what anyone’s going through,” Easton said.
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“I think every school should partake in the assembly and have it because it’s really educational and can help you learn a bunch,” Wells said.
Now, the banner is full of the names of students who want to make Bath County High School a place Rachel envisioned.
More information on Rachel’s Challenge can be found at rachelschallenge.org .
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