WESTFIELD – On Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Westfield Technical Academy, the Westfield Police Department and the Westfield School Department will hold a community presentation of Rachel’s Challenge, a character-building and anti-bullying program being presented to grades 6-12. The program is based on the life and writings of Rachel Joy Scott, who was the first student killed at Columbine High School in April of 1999.
According to the website at www.rachelschallenge.org, Rachel’s Challenge includes a series of student empowering, educator motivating programs and strategies that equips students and adults to create and sustain safe, caring and supportive learning environments essential for academic achievement. Rachel left a legacy of reaching out to those who were different, who were picked on by others, or who were new at her school. Shortly before her death she wrote:
“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,” said Scott. “People will never know how far a little kindness can go.”
The elements of the school improvement process are designed to create a culture of kindness and compassion. Objectives for schools include: create a safe learning environment for all students by re-establishing civility and delivering proactive anecdotes to school violence and bullying, improve academic achievement by engaging students’ hearts, heads and hands in the learning process, provide students with social/emotional education that is both colorblind and culturally relevant, and train adults to inspire, equip and empower students to effect permanent positive change.
The Westfield School District invites anyone from the community to attend this public presentation on Wednesday to see what information is being taught to the children through Rachel’s Challenge. The program is being held in the in the auditorium of the upper campus at Westfield Technical Academy on Smith Avenue.
