You would have been hard-pressed to find a dry eye in the Cottonwood High School auditorium Wednesday during an assembly some leaders say was life-changing.

The hourlong program called Rachel's Challenge was developed in memory of Rachel Scott, the first student killed at Colorado's Columbine High School on April 20, 1999.

Her acts of kindness and compassion coupled with the contents of her six diaries have become the foundation for the Rachel's Challenge program, which was created by her family and promotes the ideals of kindness and friendship that Rachel subscribed to.

The program also touched on Columbine and the things her family went through during the tragedy.

"We have 1,400 kids, and maybe 900 were crying today during (the assembly)," said David Gatti, assistant principal at Cottonwood High School. "It was so powerful — this generation of kids are so desensitized to violence and I don't know that a lot of things penetrate to their soul, but this did."

The program encourages students to take on five specific challenges, including eliminating all prejudice, keeping a journal and setting goals, being aware of their influence and finding positive role models, doing the "little things" in schools and communities and, aside from just loving others and helping those who need extra help, finding five people who mean a lot in their lives and showing them how much they appreciate them.

Students committed to the challenge by signing their names on a banner, and Gatti said there was an immediate difference in the school.

"Even for the rest of the day it was so much of a nicer feel, kids were kinder to each other — it made an impression," Gatti said. "I've been in education for 10 years and haven't seen anything so powerful."

After the assembly, around 45 of the school's student leaders were trained on what to look for and what they can do to help students in need feel kindness and love.

For more information on Rachel's Challenge, go to www.rachelschallenge.com.

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