Rachel’s Challenge program begins its fourth year
Students hear from guest speakers during Rachel’s Challenge kickoff
Guest speaker Darryl Colbert told students at the Highland School of
Technology about growing up in a family environment where he learned
about drugs, alcohol and other addictions.
When he was 12 years old, he was offered the chance to get high. He
made the wrong decision, and it changed the course of his life.
Colbert told students how he regrets the opportunities lost as a result of
that one decision, which started him on the path to struggle with addiction
and depression for 14 years.
“Peer pressure never goes away,” Colbert said. “I know how to say ‘no’
today.”
Now, Colbert is a motivational speaker and character coach with the
University of
Maryland and
also works as an
investigator with
the Washington,
D.C. Attorney
General. He
emphasized to
the Highland
students that the
decisions they
make each day
will determine
their future.
Colbert’s
visit to Highland
was part of
the Rachel’s
Challenge
initiative in
Gaston County
Schools.
Throughout the
month of September, professional athletes, celebrities and other speakers
visited each middle and high school for assembly programs. Their talks
encouraged students to show kindness and compassion and make good
decisions.
Colbert’s story was appreciated at Highland, said Haley Abernathy,
president of the school’s SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere) club.
“He shared a really great message,” she said. “Rachel’s Challenge allows
students to see how significant chain reactions of kindness are to the wellbeing of schools and communities. It is an excellent tie-in with our club’s
mission to educate students to make positive choices including conflict
resolution and safety.”
Colbert was one of six featured speakers who visited middle and high
schools to kick off the fourth year of Rachel’s Challenge. When Gaston County
Schools launched Rachel’s Challenge as a county-wide initiative in 2012, it
became the first district on the East Coast to adopt the program for every
school and grade level.
The focus of Rachel’s Challenge is vital to the mission of Gaston
County Schools, said Angela Newton, director of alternative programs, who
coordinates the initiative.
According to Newton, the Rachel’s Challenge program encourages
students to “start a chain reaction” of compassion in their schools by looking
for the best in others, choosing positive influences and acting with kindness.
It developed from the inspiring story of Rachel Scott, the first victim of the
Columbine High School shooting in 1999.
Each of the district’s 55 schools receives a banner for students to sign,
acknowledging they have accepted Rachel’s Challenge.
“We want to make sure our students have healthy, well-rounded lives
and we meet all their needs, not just academic needs,” Newton said.
“Rachel’s Challenge is so important because we have so many students who