Across the country, in all aspects of society, students are faced with the struggles of dealing with bullying, teasing, and harassment both in and out of school. These struggles greatly affect the lives of the students and how they look at their worlds. Many programs over the past decade have been created with a similar intention: to establish a safe and reliable environment for students to prosper in. The program Rachel’s Challenge has emerged as one of the leading programs throughout the country in combatting bullying in schools.
On October 8, a speaker for the Rachel’s Challenge Organization, Mr. Cody Hodges, returned to Walpole High School with the intention of carrying on Rachel Scott’s legacy. Hodges joined Rachel’s Challenge after attending an assembly in college given by Rachel’s’ father. He felt a connection to their ideals and the notions that they promoted. He now travels the country speaking to different groups with the intention of creating a similar connection.
In the past Walpole High School has held the Rachel’s Challenge assembly two times, continuously promoting the idea of combating bullying and isolation through an unstoppable kindness and compassion. The program was brought to Walpole High School by Mr. Charles Ferro, the school’s psychologist and head of the Rachel’s Challenge club, who intended for the message conveyed by Rachel’s Challenge to affect students’ lives. “The Rachel’s Challenge message is important for Walpole High School students especially with all the issues going on in society such as an increase in social media and bullying,” said Ferro.
Throughout her life, Rachel Scott was known for her admirable ability to reach out and connect to those in need in her community. She greatly advocated for a chain of kindness, or how a kind action could multiply and create hope for a person in need of a friend. After her tragic death in the Columbine High School shooting, her parents decided to accomplish her dream of spreading her message to the world, thus creating Rachel’s Challenge. They have successfully touched 19 million lives, with about two million more added each year, while reaching out to schools across the country who are intent on teaching the program’s ideals to their students.
Hodges began the program this year by giving a background of Rachel Scott and the tragedy of the Columbine Shooting at Littleton Colorado; however, he stressed that their intention was to focus not on her death but on her life. Rachel continuously emphasized the need to project compassion and kindness to others because she felt that it would create a better society. Hodges said, “People don’t change when they are treated meanly, but they will when they are treated kindly.”
Hodges imposed five challenges for the Walpole High School students: to look for the best in others, to dream big, to choose a positive influence, to speak with kindness, and to start their own chain reaction. Each challenge that he directed to the students was meant to inspire them and to spark a sense of compassion inside of them. The Rachel’s Challenge Organization intends for students to take these five challenges and apply them to their lives, hopefully creating an overall change in their community and in their character. Hodges said, “Write a story that you will be proud of.”
In the past, students have always had a strong reaction to the assembly. Many take the message to heart, pledging to rethink their decisions. “It was really inspiring, and it made me think about how words can affect people,” said Senior Jacqui Stratton. After the assembly students were encouraged to sign a board promising to uphold the beliefs of Rachel’s Challenge. They were also asked to participate in the Rachel’s Challenge club, headed by Ferro, which attempts to bring these ideals to the community.
Empowerment, kindness, passion: all key teaching points of the nationwide movement Rachel’s Challenge, which focuses on providing students across the country with the tools necessary to aid in the creation of a stable and successful school environment for students.
