By JAIME STUDD

For the Express

BROADALBIN—On April 20, 1999, Rachel Joy Scott was the first student killed on the campus of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.

Through her diaries and essay, however, she left behind an extraordinary message that urges positive change through kindness and compassion.

Today, that message will be delivered to middle and high school students at Broadalbin-Perth.

Following her death, Rachel’s family collected six diaries and various other writings of hers in which she expounded on her belief that acts of kindness and compassion by a single individual can create a culture of positive change throughout an entire community and, eventually, the world.

One of the writings states: “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.”

Her family then used those writings and her belief’s to form the foundation of Rachel’s Challenge, an organization dedicated to making Rachel’s dream a reality. Rachel’s Challenge visits schools around the country, delivering Rachel’s message to students and faculty as a means of empowering them to further the ideals of kindness and compassion.

Students from BP middle and high schools will attend the hour-long multimedia presentation, which includes video and audio footage of Rachel’s life and the Columbine shootings.

Following that presentation, 50 students from each school will take part in the one and half hour-long peer-training portion of the program, in which they will be given the tools to continue furthering the mission of the challenge throughout the school year.

The event was brought to B-P by middle school guidance counselor Jenna Jamieson and school social worker Kathleen DuFresne. Jamieson said she had heard about it for a number of years, both from family in the Watertown area and having attended graduate school in Buffalo when the program was circling school districts in that region, and had been interested in bringing the program to B-P for some time.

“I’ve only heard great things about it,” said Jamieson.

“When we heard Fonda was going to have the program, we thought it would be a good time to kind of jump on it,” said Jamieson, noting the HFM BOCES will fund any programs visiting at least two different schools systems.

“It’s called “Rachel’s Challenge” because at the end they pose five different challenges (to audience) and it has a “Pay it Forward” type theme,” said Jamieson. “It’s kind of an opportunity for the students to take control of the school and take control of the climate that they create at the school.”

Jamieson said they plan to continue embracing the challenge throughout the school year, with a number of programs and activities designed to further the cause.

“Although it’s based on the Columbine tragedy, the main focus is kindness and compassion and changing the personal lives of people,” said Jamieson.

Community members are invited to attend a special evening presentation of the assembly at 6:30 p.m. tonight in the high school auditorium.