Chelsea Students, Parents and Faculty Accept Rachel's Challenge

Starting a chain reaction. Instigating a single act of kindness that can spread throughout the world, like ripples in a pond.

That's the aim of Rachel's Challenge, an organization that began in the aftermath of the Columbine shootings and has spread the message of Rachel Joy Scott, one of the victims. It's her story that was shared Wednesday with students, parents and faculty at a special program at . 

On April 20, 1999, Rachel Joy Scott, 17, was sitting outside Colorado's Columbine High School, eating lunch with friends, when two of her classmates opened fire, killing Scott and 11 other people. 

Out of that tragedy, though, came Rachel's Challenge, a program designed to share Rachel's views on life, kindness and the human spirit.

“I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same,” Scott wrote before she died.

Chelsea students were introduced to to the program during the school day though an assembly that taught them about compassion and starting a "chain reaction of kindness" with their actions. In the evening, students were invited to bring their parents back to the school to take part in a similar program geared toward having a community-wide effect.

“I thought it was important to have my sister and my parents see this,” third-grader Annie Hackett said about the event.

Doug Brandl, the program's presenter and a Scott family friend, spoke about Rachel and her message during the hourlong event.

“This presentation that we did for them today, it's just focused pure positive aspects of (Rachel's) life, the impact she had on other people” Brandl said. “Tonight's community event is really for the community and the parents, so they get their takeaway from it. They get the full story and the full message and the passion of Rachel's life.”

Though the subject matter can be difficult for children—and even adults—to deal with, parents at the presentation said the message was clearly something that should be shared with their children.

“We enjoyed it. We're looking forward to talking more about this when we get home,” said Erin Hackett, Annie's mom.

For more information about the program, go to the Rachel's Challenge website or the program's Facebook page.