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Rachel's Challenge at Bower Hill
 

The Peters Township School District is proud to bring the Rachel’s Challenge program to our students, staff and community.  Rachel’s Challenge is a non-profit organization that seeks to make schools safer, more connected places where bullying and violence are replaced with kindness and respect; and where learning and teaching are awakened to their fullest.  On Tuesday, September 18th, Bower Hill students and staff will participate in our Rachel’s Challenge launch presentation.  This program is meant to inform students about the profound positive impact we can have on those around us. 

As you may be aware, Rachel Joy Scott was the first person killed at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999.  Rachel was known by students and teachers as a student who was always kind and compassionate towards everyone.  Following her death, students and staff reached out to her parents and media to share their stories of how Rachel’s kindness positively impacted their life.  From these stories, a national organization was created to spread acts of kindness and caring in schools.  Today, Rachel’s message reaches over 1.5 million people each year through 1,200 presentations given in schools and communities around the country.  Below is a link to the Rachel’s Challenge website for you to learn more about this program:

http://rachelschallenge.org/

Our goal is that the Rachel’s Challenge launch motivates students to Start a Chain Reaction of spreading acts of kindness and compassion. The presentation for students at this young age focuses on the challenge to reach out to others with deliberate acts of kindness. The assembly is a fun, energetic, interactive event that mixes music, video and activities to tell her story. Students will learn about a young girl named Rachel; however they will not hear or see footage related to the Columbine tragedy or her death.

On September 19 at 6:00 p.m. all elementary parents are also invited to attend a special evening presentation in the Peters Township High School Auditorium, to learn more about this program and specifically what it will mean to your elementary child.  Please note that our middle and high school students will receive a more in depth look at Rachel’s life and the impact made by her words following her tragic death. The evening event is designed for adults as it provides this additional level of detail regarding Rachel’s life, death and transforming message.

Peters Township Character Counts is also sponsoring the Rachel’s Challenge community launch at 6:30 p.m. on September 25th when we will welcome Rachel’s father Darrell Scott to our community. To accommodate the large crowd anticipated that evening, the event will take place at The Bible Chapel at 300 Gallery Drive in McMurray.

We hope you can attend this important event for our community.