“I was moved by the assembly. I felt like I got to know Rachel quickly and understood the beauty of her spirit,” said Dimond’s Principal Cheryl Guyett. “I was also moved by the quiet in the gym. I was very hopeful that the experience we shared would make our school a safer place, more trusting. It was truly a celebration.” Freshman Caitlin Peterson accepts Rachel’s Challenge because “I don’t know, it just felt right.” “Yes I did [I accept Rachel’s Challenge], the lightness of spirit her story gave me and realizing that that’s the way I would want to live my life anyway. It will help the school reach its full potential as a community,” Guyett went on to say. “I accept Rachel’s Challenge because I also believe that if we did start a chain reaction, that the world would be a better place,” said Freshman Emily Carey. Sophomore Gage Raymond said, “I did [accept Rachel’s Challenge], gives me something to do I guess. It touched me deeply.” “I hope that [Rachel’s Challenge] will work. Even if it helps one person I think it helps,” said Dimond gym teacher Christine Fisher. Fisher helped organize Rachel’s Challenge along with fellow Dimond Teacher Kristen Melican. They are both part of Dimond’s Social Emotion Learning (SEL) program. Junior Megan Baumer said, “A lot of people will say they accept Rachel’s Challenge but within a couple days they will just be doing what they did before.” “Honestly, I think a bunch of people will be doing [Rachel’s Challenge] and in about a week it will be down to about three,” said Raymond. Many people did not know who Rachel Joy Scott was before the assembly at our school. “[Before the assembly] I did research. I was aware of the assembly in the city last year, but not fully aware,” said Guyett. “I didn’t really know about Rachel until I heard about Rachel’s Challenge.” Freshman Lilly Bee said, “All I knew before the assembly was that she was the first one shot in the Columbine shooting and that her journal was found. I think she was a very inspirational person.” “[The assembly] made me realize that bullying is real and could affect some people in the biggest way. It inspired me to be a better person and made me realize that students at my school go through events in their lives that other people don’t know about and that we all need to be respectful of that,” said Bee. “I remember the next time I went into a high school [after the Columbine shootings] I was kind of nervous,” said Fisher. “Yes, I sure do [remember when the Columbine shootings happened]. I was working as an assistant principal. I remember the day after the shootings every high school felt vulnerable. Nobody saw that coming in Colorado,” said Guyett. “I heard about Rachel’s Challenge from people at a meeting last year in the fall,” said Guyett. It wouldn’t fit into the schedule until now. Melican, Fisher and Dimond Freshman Assistant Principal David Legg did the groundwork for the project, said Guyett. The club is meeting every other Thursday. “It is basically a group of people who want to try to make Dimond a good place to be. We are going to start small and hopefully end big,” said Fisher.