Another pact against school bullying

WEBUTUCK — Students  in the Webutuck Central School District signed a second pledge against bullying and discrimination after a follow-up presentation from Rachel’s Challenge, a nationwide initiative that arose in the wake of the Columbine High School massacre more than a decade ago in Colorado.

Two presentations entitled “Rachel’s Legacy� were held on Dec. 16: one in the morning for grades seven to 12 and one in the evening that was open to the community. Presenter Gretchen Reed gave a multimedia presentation about the lasting efforts stemming from the diaries of Rachel Scott, the first Columbine student killed.

While Rachel’s Challenge will continue to provide support for the school, “Rachel’s Legacy� is the final presentation the group will make to the school. After the presentation, a group of nearly 70 students met with Reed for an extended workshop and training class, which will form the basis for Webutuck’s Friends of Rachel club. That club will be responsible for organizing fundraisers and initiatives within the school to promote kindness and compassion, ethical ideals that Rachel Scott aspired to.

“The training went really well,� said Kristen Chadwick, who works at Webutuck through the county’s Council for Addiction Prevention and Education (CAPE) program. “The club will probably meet about once a week. Hopefully at our first meeting the kids will talk about what their goals are for Webutuck. They’re really going to take it from here, so we have to see what they have in mind. They’re going to have to be motivated and want to do it in order for it to be a success.�

The community presentation turnout was disappointing, Chadwick acknowledged, with a little more than 10 attendees. But the district is hoping that the student response to the presentation was strong enough that the program will resonate at Webutuck.

“It’s the same reaction across the board,� Reed said about different schools’ responses to Rachel’s Challenge. “Everybody knows what it’s like to not be treated with kindness and compassion.�

When asked how the program could be judged as a success for Webutuck, Reed responded that any change for the better was a step in the right direction.

“The program is a success even if just one student is changed in the way they look at the world and treat other people,� she said.

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