Dear Families,
During the week of October 21st, we are pleased to provide a program to our middle and high
school students by Rachel’s Challenge, a nationwide program. Rachel’s Challenge brings
people together. It helps break down the walls that lead to harassment, isolation, teen
suicide and gun violence. Their programs are a catalyst that stimulate connection and hope,
invites personal reflection, and ignites change. When people feel that they are not alone,
individuals – and communities – are transformed. It is happening every day around the
nation in culturally diverse schools who implement Rachel’s Challenge.
Rachel’s Challenge works with educators and mental health professionals to ensure that all of
their programs are trauma informed and age-appropriate. While the shootings are addressed
in the secondary programs, they are not mentioned in the elementary presentation. The
emphasis of the program is focused on the kindness and compassion that will inspire cultural
change within the school.
This program was created after the Columbine High School shooting in honor of Rachel Scott,
one of the students that was lost that day. After Rachel’s death, her family discovered that
she left behind a legacy of kindness and compassion – through her life, her writings, and the
people she had reached out to. One after another, stories emerged about the profound
impact of her simple acts of kindness. Her family soon realized that Rachel’s story could help
transform the way we relate to each other, and how we feel about ourselves. It provides an
antidote: a path to ending school violence, bullying, self-harm and suicide. How? By creating
positive connections that improve self-worth and mental health.
If you would like to opt your child out of the Rachel’s Challenge program, please send a letter
to the school indicating that request. To address any questions or concerns, please contact
the school administrator.
If you would like to see the Rachel’s Challenge program, you’re invited to our community
event where the program will be presented on October 22, 2024 at Rockingham County High
School at 6:00pm.
For more information, visit the Rachel’s Challenge website. https://rachelschallenge.org/