WESTFIELD (WWLP) – A nationwide program to stop bullying made its way to Westfield yesterday.
Rachel’s Challenge was started in memory of Rachel Scott, the first victim of the 1999 Columbine shootings.
“I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion then it will start a chain reaction,” said Rachel Scott’s uncle, Larry Scott. “People will never know how far a little kindness can go.”
Westfield Police Sgt. Eric Hall saw the success of the program in the Enfield Connecticut school system.
“When I started looking into it, it kind of seemed like a no brainer to get this into our town and get our high school students involved with it, as well,” he said.
The 1,500 people that make up the student body of Westfield High School are getting involved.
“We want to make our kids aware that what they do every single day can have an impact on the world, and hopefully lead our world and community to a better place,” said Principal Jonathan Carter.
Students said they walk through the hallways of Westfield High School everyday interacting and socializing with one another. With Rachel’s Challenge they hope to spread the kindness and compassion she spoke of to create a socially healthy environment for everyone.
“She wrote ideas down in her diary like so many other times that I have done, and just her words were if you spread just a little bit of kindness it will catch on and become a chain reaction,” said senior Allison Cheney.
“Just showing people that I’m caring for them and that if they’ve got anything they want to talk about or express, you can just express it to anybody you feel comfortable with,” said John Torres.
Rachel’s Challenge isn’t just for students.
The community is invited to Voc-Tech at 6:30 tonight to talk about what students are learning and ways to prevent bullying.
