By Rachel Kalina
A presentation called Rachel's Challenge came to Howard T. Herber Middle School in Malverne on Oct. 16, and to West Hempstead High School on Oct. 26. The program encourages people to participate in a "chain reaction" of kindness.
Soon after 17-year-old Scott's death, the first of 13 at Columbine that day, her family and volunteers banded together to spread the message of how she lived. Kindness and compassion were central to Scott's character, and now 12 speakers take turns presenting this idea of paying kindness forward to students nationwide.
Michael Kilgore, a family friend of the Scotts, led the presentation last Monday night. It was a follow up to the one he had given to Malverne middle schoolers during the day, and a full auditorium also contained parents eager to hear Scott's message.
"I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction," he said, reading from an essay by Scott. "People will never know how far a little kindness can go. ... You just may start a chain reaction."
Kilgore gave his listeners a set of five challenges based on Scott's writings and values. He asked students to eliminate prejudice by looking for the best in others, to keep a journal and write down goals, to choose positive influences, to commit acts of kindness and to start a chain reaction of kindness and compassion.
"I thought it was great," said parent Donald Geandolfo. "If everybody did one little thing like Rachel said, we'd all be a lot better off."
Throughout the presentation, the audience got to know Scott through excerpts from the journals she kept and through video clips of family and friends who spoke about how she had influenced them. The Columbine shootings, in which students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold shot 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves, were also discussed.
"I thought the whole presentation was moving," said Aaliyah White, a sixth-grade student at Malverne.
Mom Geraldine White agreed with her daughter.
"I hope it impacts them. It's always good to stop and do something nice," she said. She added that most people are kind at heart, but sometimes they are too focused in a daily routine and don't take the time to think about others.
Both Aaliyah and Geraldine signed a large poster board filled with other signatures that read "I Accept Rachel's Challenge." Students and parents who signed pledged to try and achieve the goals Kilgore had outlined in his presentation. Many listeners went to thank him for spreading Scott's message after he had finished speaking.
"My whole career has been about kids," Kilgore said. "It's all about the kids, they're the future of our country."
Comments about this story? RKalina@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 282.
