Thursday, March 13, 2008

Rachel's Challenge


What are your initial reactions to the Rachel's Challenge presentation in which you participated today? Thoughts, questions, concerns....

7 comments:

Annie ♥ said...

I feel like the assembly touched a lot of people. I'm so glad that Mrs. Potter made the decision to have it. I believe that the assembly will help decrease the amount of bullying at Riverside, and will make it a better place for everyone.

The assembly was so sad, and it changed my life. I looked at those baby video clips of Rachel and I thought to myself, "What if that was someone I was close to?" Around the moment I felt that, she asked us to shut our eyes and think of the people that mean the most to us.

People don't realize that we have limited time on this earth. You should live everyday as if it were your last. You don't know when it might be your last minute here, or someone else's.

I'm sure those kids at Columbine would have never expected thirteen of their classmates would be shot that day, which is why we need to be prepared for the worst. It's sad the world has came like this, but it's reality.

If we really want to stop bullying, we need to work as a whole. The teachers and the students have to be willing to do it.

Like I said in my previous post, the guy who bullied me in my third block should have never gotten by with it. Both of us should have been sent to the office, where the problem could have been solved. We, as students, need to step up and help make the change.

Chez said...

To those of you who are focused on creating a change:

I appreciate you, your comments, and the dedication that you are and will be putting forth to this cause. It is people like you that can take an inspiration and a dream, and turn it into a practical reality and create change for the better. Keep up the good work and continue the chain reaction.

Chez

kenzi said...

this assembly was amazing. it stunned me how she predicted that she was going to die at a young age.

Vampiric_Soul_Of_A_Writer said...

The assembly today was so eye opening, I could literately feel the tension in the room. When Mrs. Potter made the decision to have this assembly she not only opened the door for us to see what the effects of our actions in the school do but also our actions in the community as well.

Watching the assembly and trying to hold myself together was very hard. When the clips or Rachel’s' childhood were playing and we got to see into her diary and into her life my first thoughts were "Oh wow! This girl was so in tuned to what I keep referring to as the "big picture" (it just seems to fit for me for some reason) that she decided she was going to change what she didn't like in that picture. I never would've thought that one person could do anything." After hearing the assembly and thinking what would I think of my last words to someone if they weren't here tomorrow or even five minutes from now.

I agree with Annie, when she says that we don't realize how short our time on earth really is she's completely right, but I also think that when people realize that they do only have a limited amount of time and they agree to put forth the effort to be a little kinder to someone who may be having some problem they have no knowledge of what so ever that our short amount of time will not only be a much happier one but also more rewarding.

Talking and trying to resolve issues before they get as bad as what was demonstrated at Columbine is something that shouldn't really be a second thought kind of thing for someone, if someone would just talk to people open up and be a little less blocked in then who knows the problems that attribute to bullying may be slowed down or stopped although.

The only way to put a stop bullying is to put our heads together, educate the people around us to the different things in the world around them, and just be a nicer person to someone. A simple "Hi, how are you?" can make a persons day and keep them from going over the edge.

The community, and I say the community because everyone is guilty for bullying in some form from one time they may not know it, not just the student body need to step up make the changes and work to make the world we as individuals live in a better place.

Chez said something today that made perfect sense and sums up what I wanted to say (I hope it's as close as possible), "Can you imagine if we were all carbon copies how boring that would be? And since we're not, we as humans have a need to categorize things that are different to us so we can try to make sense of them." If we're open to new things and can stop trying to put things into their own tiny little box then we can open the world to a whole lot of new things, great things that are only waiting to be seen.

Anonymous said...

The assembly today was such an eye opener for me. It really made me think about what I was saying and doing to other people. I thought about what people would say if I would die young. How would I be remember? I want to be remember as a nice person that didn't judge someone by race or religion. This assembly has really helped me realize the things I have done wrong and I want to fix it. So I am going to accept Rachel's challenge and I think everyone in our school should too. I want Riverside to become a better school with less bullying. We all need to work together in order for this to happen.

Anonymous said...

I was unable to attend the presentation of Rachel's Challenge due to prior obligations. But after visiting the website and watching some of the videos available on line it was apparent the impact this may have on the students at Riverside.

After my two children attended the assembly it was clear that it had not only inspired them both but motivated and lead them to make changes almost instantly. I received text messages from both of them. I don't think that I will ever delete them. They were so touching and heartfelt that I knew that the assembly had touched them in a way that would change their outlook on how to treat others for the rest of their lives.
I am proud of the steps that Riverside has taken to promote this type of program for our kids. I am glad that all of them had the opportunity to take part in such a potentially life changing event. It is an amazing way to reach our kids.

I only wish that it could continue to have this effect. Such as a reminder of all the emotions and thoughts that each student felt during the presenation by meeting more often to promote this type of change. Why not put together a student organization or a designated group or club that will continue those efforts throughout their years at Riverside?

Chez said...

Angela,

Thank you so much for commenting on the blog. Your incite and opinions are valued.

Part of Rachel's Challenge, and we have opted to take this on, is to start a group called FOR. Friends Of Rachel. This group starts with approximately 60 students. They are going to begin some programs and brainstorm ideas to help spread this message, and continue to make a change here at RHS. Eventually, more and more students will be added,and the group will continue on. The beginning group met on Tuesday. Hopefully, very soon we will see what is to come.

It is a very exciting time here. Change is happening, and positivity is winning.

Thanks so much,
Chez