Emotionally-Charged Anti-Bullying Assembly Returns to Port Chester

When the Rachel's Challenge program was brought to Port Chester , more than a 100 teenagers were moved to tears by the images and story of a young life cut short in Columbine.

Next week, the program will return to Port Chester Middle School, its content even more relevant after a series of high-profile tragedies and suicides spurred by bullying and social rejection.

After last year's emotional program, Port Chester Middle School student Samantha Perez said the story of Rachel Scott "taught us to be closer to people and to not judge others."

Program organizers are hoping students like Perez haven't forgotten the way they felt that day, when they watched the family and friends of Rachel Scott recount the teenager's life.

Scott was among 13 people killed in the 1999 school shooting, which sparked nationwide introspection and renewed efforts to combat bullying, which was seen as one of several factors motivating the two students who executed the attack.

Along with the visual and discussion elements of the program, students are asked to write down life goals, encouraged to keep a diary about their emotions, and urged to think about how they treat others.

The day will begin with an assembly for sixth-graders at 8:45 a.m., a follow-up to last year's program for seventh- and eighth-graders who participated in the program last year, and an evening assembly for parents and members of the community.

The community assembly is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Oct. 12, in the Port Chester Middle School auditorium. Parents, family and members of the community are invited to attend.

For more information, visit Rachel's Challenge on the web.

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