I just got back from Rachel's Rally where nearly 8,000 people from Rockwall gathered to honor the life of Rachel Scott and accept her challenge to start a chain reaction of kindness and compassion. Rockwall ISD was the first school district in the nation to accept Rachel's challenge and Robin and the girls have been working on it all year. Kids from all of the Rockwall schools have been documenting acts of kindness and compassion by creating chain links made out of construction paper with the names of the people who exhibited kindness.
At our high school football stadium tonight, the sixth graders from each elementary school carried the 123,000+ chains of kindness and compassion. You read that correctly - over 123,000 documented acts of kindness and compassion - wow! I am very proud of Robin, Macy & Mallory for the part they played in Rachel's Challenge and Rachel's Rally.
Rachel Scott has been a hero of mine since April 20, 1999 - which in my opinion was one of the worst days in our nations history. That's when two students murdered 12 of their class mates at Columbine High School. Columbine wasn't the deadliest school shooting in our history, but for some reason it seemed to hit our nation the hardest. Perhaps it was because of the media coverage that let us inside a portion of the tragedy? Or maybe it was because of the specificity in which the killers chose their targets. It could have been the culmination of several school shootings in a row and this was just the boiling point. I don't have all the answers, but I do know that it profoundly impacted a generation that was fed up with senseless violence.
Rachel Scott was the first one to die that day. The killers had already shot her once when they asked her to renounce the name of Jesus. Rachel wouldn't do so. She proclaimed Christ and was subsequently shot in the head.
As stories came out about the shooters, it became evident that they felt like outcasts and misfits. The irony was that Rachel Scott had been one of the few people to actually reach out to them, but they killed her anyway.
The amazing thing is that Rachel's life has impacted far more people than her death. Even though, April 20, 1999 will remain a dark day in our history - the life of Rachel Scott is still shinning bright. The love of Christ compelled Rachel to start a chain reaction of kindness and compassion.
I accept Rachel's Challenge!
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2 comments:
My family and I were there at the rally last night and were absolutely moved by the whole experience. I too am very proud of both of my Nebbie Williams students, both of whom had documented acts of kindness on the chain. I am so thankful for Mr. Scott and his enduring commitment to spreading his late daughters dreams and goals. I could not stop myself from shedding tears for him and his family. Another program out there which was spawned in part by the Columbine massacre is the "Watch D.o.g.s." (Dads of Great Students). I participated in this at my kids school and was so glad I did. I urge all fathers to get involved in their kids lives as much as they possibly can!
i went with my mom and it was so totally awesome. I don't go to Rockwall ISD schools but Rachel Joy Scott is my hero and my role model. I'm so glad that God gave the Scott family the ability to talk about there amazing daughter.
Thank you Mr. Scott and your family for all you do.
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