St John Neumann Students Take on 'Rachel's Challenge'

are taking part in a nationwide program that honors a victim of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting by helping others and "creating a culture of kindness and compassion," said Anna Koscelski, the school's development director.

"Students have performed many acts of kindess for each other and the community at large," Koscelski said in an email. Eighth graders helped Kindergarten students decorate pumpkins, and first grade students visited residents at a local nursing home.

On Nov. 11, St. John Neumann students will join with other schools at the Georgia Dome to try and set a record for the longet chain link of Kindness and Compassion, Koscelski said.

Before then, the students will take part in a food drive for the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and one group will recycle used shoes through the GreenSneaker program, which sends the footwear to people in need around the world.

Rachel Scott was the first high schooler killed in the Columbine shootings, and soon after, her father began speaking around the country about the need for a kinder and more compassionate society, using drawings and writings from Rachel's diary, according to the Rachel's Challenge website. Today, Rachel's Challenge is a national program aimed at teaching students about compassion.