Kennedy Students, Community Challenged to ‘Start a Chain Reaction’

Six weeks before her tragic death at the hands of two enraged Columbine students, Rachel Scott wrote a two-page essay challenging everyone to show kindness and compassion, to look beyond prejudice and to reach out to those around you in an effort to make the world a better place.

It’s been 14 years since the then 18-year-old was shot and killed outside Columbine High School – one of 40 people killed or injured in the worst school shooting in United States history – but her message lives on and the students, staff and parents at Kennedy Middle School are taking the message to heart.

“Rachel’s message has helped create positive change in the world and after hearing her story, the students hear have shown they want to make a difference,” said Alex Jackson, a representative of the organization ‘Rachel’s Challenge.’

“After seeing the way they took the message into their own hands, I strongly believe the students are committed to making their school and the entire community a more caring, loving place.”

Kennedy Middle School on Thursday took part in Rachel’s Challenge, an international organization dedicated to carrying on her message of spreading kindness and compassion, and already Principal Steve Madancy said the challenge is making a difference. The organization was brought to town thanks in large part to funding of the Kennedy PTO.

On Thursday, students were silent after hearing of her death and how the actions of others could help save someone’s life – not just those victimized by a tragic event, but of those who would consider perpetrating the event in the first place.

The Kennedy student body was asked whether they felt they could make a difference and a few hands went up. They were then asked if they felt their hearts were touched and slowly, every hand raised one-by-one. When asked if they were willing to make a difference, not a hand lowered.

“There has been so much going on around the state with talk of school reform, curriculum requirements, standards and teach evaluations, but we can’t ignore school culture. Studies show that the most successful schools have a culture where students feel safe and accepted,” Madancy said. “Today, our students showed they are committed to helping Kennedy develop and maintain that culture.”

The program had instant effects, he said. A group of 40 school leaders, all students with a wide variety of backgrounds, came together to develop an ongoing plan to build upon an already caring environment at the school.

The students came up with suggestions that included establishing a welcome committee, developing a paper chain of good deeds that they would like to extend from the cafeteria around the school and back again, hosting “get to know a stranger” lunches, establishing an eighth-grade and sixth-grade buddy program and even creating brightly colored lanyards to encourage safe people for students in need to turn to.

These implementations are part of the ongoing effort that will extend beyond Thursday’s presentations, Madancy said.

“They heard the message and they’ve shown they are willing to look into their hearts to find a way to make sure everyone feels accepted,” Jackson said.

In the words of Rachel Scott, the community is prepared to show that “compassion is the greatest love that people have to offer.”

Make sure to like Southington Patch on Facebook or follow on Twitter for breaking news, daily updates and more!