WINONA, Minn. – They screamed. They laughed. They danced. And they made a pledge to treat one another with kindness and compassion. Students at Washington-Kosciusko Elementary were at an assembly to hear Craig Scott, a survivor of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. Scott, now visiting schools nationwide as a motivational speaker, did not mention the shooting or violence. Instead, he focused on the dreams of his sister, Rachel Joy Scott, who was one of the 13 students killed in the Columbine tragedy. Scott got students involved from the start. He danced with teachers and principal Dawn Waller Lueck, then encouraged the students to put an arm around their neighbor, sway back and forth, and sing parts of the song “Lean on Me.”
Motivational speaker. Scott spent an hour with Grades K-2, then an hour with Grades 3-4. Image and text: John Casper
Verbatim
Scott quoted his sister: “I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little kindness can go.” His sister’s story, he said, has created a chain reaction of kindness. He encouraged students to start a literal chain of kindness. Every time a W-K student does something kind, it will be written down to comprise a paper chain that will be displayed in the school. Similar paper chains have been created at thousands of schools across the country.
His five challenges
Scott challenged the students and teachers to:
>Use kind words and do kind things.
> Accept and include others.
> Choose positive influences.
> Set goals.
> Keep a journal.