sunny with a high of 75//

Usually assemblies are the worst. They are boring, kids are loud and won't be quiet, and its usually crowded and hot in the gym. So on Monday morning, I was not looking forward to this assembly I knew pretty much nothing about.

Once we got there , my mind was quickly changed. The presentation was given by Craig Scott, brother of Rachel Scott, the first student killed at Columbine High School in 1999. Not very long before the shootings happened, she wrote an essay challenging the reader to show kindness to everyone. In one part she says:

"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."

After learning more about her life, and how she showed kindness and compassion to everyone she encountered, our school was given the challenge, which included five main points:

1. Eliminate Prejudice by looking for the best in others.
2. Dare to Dream [set goals, keep a journal].
3. Choose your influences [input determines output].
4. Use kind words.
5. Start a chain reaction with family & friends.

During the assembly, I began to notice something different about my classmates. Everyone was quiet [and not because they were sleeping!], people were engaged in what Craig was saying, and even the guys who are usually loud and obnoxious were focused during the entire assembly. Afterwards, you could really see the difference in our school. Walking back to class, every single student was talking about it. Everyone was being nice to each other, and even the toughest of tough guys were saying how great the assembly was, and how much it affected them.

That night, Craig Scott was doing the presentation again for parents and students who wanted to return. Our counselor, Mr. Matz, had said he would be happy if there were 30 parents and students. Man was he surprised to have the gym filled with more than 500 people from around Orting!!! [Instead of having youth group, everyone that usually goes to the Besseys, including Buzz and Robin, went along to the night-time presentation.]

So... now if you visit Orting High School, you will definitely see a change in the students.