Columbine victim left legacy of wisdom

Rachel Scott had a feeling that she was going to die young.

But the 17-year-old also had a theory that if one person went out of their way to show compassion, then it would start a chain reaction of the same.

Rachel Scott did die young. She was the first victim of the Columbine High School tragedy 10 years ago that in the end, took the lives of 13 people – 12 students and one teacher.

“That was a day I will never forget, and one I hope you never see,” said Larry Scott, Rachel’s uncle, at Bridger Middle School Friday. “I stand here today because of a lot of pain and a lot of tears. All because two boys were angry with the world and yes, they had been bullied. They killed 13 innocent lives because they were angry with the world. There is no excuse, absolutely no excuse for killing people.”

Rachel’s Challenge grew out of the tragedy at Columbine and all because one girl, Rachel Scott, believed kindness and compassion were the antidote to violence. The program is a one-hour school presentation with video and audio footage of Rachel’s life along with the Columbine shootings. The goal is to motivate students to make positive changes in the way they treat others. Scott, whose son and daughter were also at Columbine High School that day, also visited Truman High School Friday to spread the message that was so important to Rachel.

“Her role model was Anne Frank, when her killers (Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold) had Adolf Hitler as a role model,” he said. “She used to say that ‘people will never know how far a little kindness can go.’ That is the message of Rachel’s Challenge.”

Larry Scott set forth five-challenges for students – look for the best in others in order to eliminate prejudice, dare to dream, choose positive influences, use kind words and to start a chain reaction of kindness with family and friends. Students were then asked to sign a banner as their acceptance of these challenges.

“It made me want to be a better person,” said eighth grader Kramer Knipp. “I hope everyone accepts the challenge because it will help us all to live better lives.”

Scott said Rachel believed in focusing her kindness on three groups of people – the disabled, those new at school and students who are picked on and put down.

He said Rachel did not believe she was anyone special, she simply believed in treating others as she would want to be treated.

“It wasn’t just theory to her, it is what she did,” he said. “It does matter how you talk to each other. Your words make an impact each and every day. Anytime you demean someone else to make you feel better, makes you a bully.”

“Compassion is the greatest form of love humans have to offer,” Rachel wrote in a class essay only weeks before her death.

The essay went onto to say “my definition of compassion is forgiving, loving, helping, leading and showing mercy for others.” Scott said his niece believed she would have an impact on the world and through Rachel’s Challenge, she has.

“Don’t give up. Life is too short to give up,” he said. “People think it is cool to be mean and bad. What we need to do is to once again make it cool to be nice. Choose your friends wisely and make the best choices.”

Eighth grader Jordan Esry said she felt the presentation was “cool” and really made her think about how she treats others.

“I am going to challenge myself to be a better person, to be kind,” she said. “We saw how she (Rachel) lived her life and how we can now live ours. I never knew how what I say could affect someone so much.”

For more information on Rachel’s Challenge, visit the Web site, www.rachelschallenge.org.