On Oct. 10, H-F’s Friends of Rachel club hosted a presentation on Rachel’s Challenge to give students a better understanding of the club and its purpose.
But what is Friends of Rachel?
Well, following the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999, where 15 people—12 students, 1 teacher and the two shooters—were killed, the Friends of Rachel club was created and named after Rachel Scott, the first person killed in the massacre. Friends of Rachel is a worldwide club with over 30,000,000 members.
According to the Friends of Rachel website, Rachel’s Challenge addresses the root causes of school violence, bullying, prejudice and self-harm through student wellness programs that build connection, hope and resilience. H-F recently hosted its own Rachel’s Challenge, which was attended by many students.
At H-F, Friends of Rachel participates in several events, such as volunteering and hosting activities. This club encourages student-led ideas and strives to implement them when possible.
One recent event was a banner signing. The purpose of the banner signing was to inspire students to look for the best in others, dream big, choose positive influences, speak with kindness and start their own chain reaction, according to PE, driver’s ed teacher and co-sponsor Cara Boss.
Throughout the year, the club also hosts Chain Reaction, Sugar Rush 2, You Are a Star Day and a Birthday Cake in a Box Food Drive.
Chain Reaction is an event where Friends of Rachel brings in two presenters and hundreds of students to engage in social and emotional activities throughout the day. In the spring, they host You Are a Star Day, when students from Glenwood Academy visit H-F to participate in carnival games and social-emotional wellness activities in an outdoor education-style setting.
When speaking to H-F sophomores Francesca Gomez and Jada Williams about the presentation and Rachel’s Challenge, they shared how they better understand the purpose of Friends of Rachel and how it inspired them to live in the moment, express their feelings more often and be more grateful.
Williams, who is not currently a member, expressed her desire to join Friends of Rachel in the future, she said, “I’m not in Friends of Rachel, but I would like to join because I feel like having people to build on my ideas and also having the funding would help get ideas across and put them into motion instead of just having them sit around.”
Gomez echoed this sentiment, saying, “I am certainly considering joining Friends of Rachel because I feel like they are doing a really good thing.”
Two current members of Friends of Rachel, King Figueroa and Itzel Rosario-Nunez, shared how being involved with the club has impacted their lives.
“It has shown me not to judge a book by its cover and to be more empathetic toward people,” Figueroa said. “I feel it gave me a different perspective on people I’ve had issues with or who have treated me rudely. People have their own lives and issues they’re dealing with, and maybe the way they act is not how they want to act but a reaction to their reality.”
Rosario-Nunez added, “I think it made me want to be more kind. You never really know what’s going on in someone’s personal life, and it just made me want to be nicer and give back.”
The next Friends of Rachel event, which H-F students can participate in, is the birthday cake box packing event on December 9.
To Join Friends of Rachel, go to the H-F website and under “Activities” click on “Snap! Manage Registration” and begin your registration for Friends of Rachel after clicking on “Begin Registration”.
