Ex-Columbine Student Inspires Tenino School
By Venice Buhain, The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.
Jan. 9–TENINO — The oldest of Tenino High School’s students were in middle school in 1999, when two boys in Colorado killed Rachel Scott, 17, and 12 others at Columbine High School.
But Scott’s brother, Craig, 23, continues to tour the country spreading his sister’s values of compassion and kindness in the hope it will prevent future tragedies.
Monday, less than a week after a shooting at Foss High School in Tacoma that left one student dead, Craig Scott told the story of his sister’s life and death.
“She wanted to be an actress. She wanted her writing and her poetry published,” Scott said.
Rachel Scott was determined to make a difference in the world, and emphasized doing kind actions for others as one way to touch people, he said.
Craig Scott, 16 at the time, narrowly escaped being another Columbine shooting victim. He had been sitting next to two close friends in the library when they were killed at close range by Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. The two stopped shooting in the library after the school’s sprinkler system went off because of the gun smoke, Scott said.
Even though he was physically uninjured, Scott said the experience of losing his sister and witnessing the shooting of his friends and others in the library made him angry for some time after the shooting.
But the assembly focused on his sister’s positive message during the school assembly, only briefly contrasting it with the killers’ reasons behind the shootings.
Tenino Principal Jeff Johnson said leadership students and their teacher had heard Scott’s father, Darrell, speak at a state conference this year and were impressed.
“There is an emphasis on the positive messages. We do the lockdown drills and other things, but you also have to balance that,” Johnson said.
For the next three weeks, Scott will visit schools throughout Washington. The dates had been scheduled before last week’s shooting in Tacoma.
“That’s the kind of stuff that makes us want to do these assemblies. Compassion and kindness is the biggest ender of violence,” Scott said. “We definitely feel for the family and friends of the student who died.”
Tenino will also have a Friends of Rachel Club, which will consist of about 30 students of diverse backgrounds who will be trained in encouraging kindness and respect among students.
ASB teacher Geraldine Maxfield expects that the students will act as facilitators for future programs that emphasize positive attitudes.
Chloe Brooks, 16, a junior who will be trained in the FOR Club, said she is encouraged that the club’s message will help break down barriers between cliques.
Michelle Gregory, 17, also a junior, who moved to Tenino two years ago and is in a foster family, is one of the students that the staff chose to be in the FOR Club.
“Most of the kids around here grew up here,” she said, saying that new students sometimes have a hard time fitting in with the established crowd. “I think this is stuff everyone can use, especially regarding (ending) prejudice.”
Philip Kendall, 16 and a junior, said he already tries to be inclusive in everyday life, but he hopes that the school assembly will encourage others to spread that behavior.
“I think it’ll keep the whole thing going,” he said. “It was really needed. There are lots of people who aren’t noticed and don’t have a friend, and they need a friend.”
Venice Buhain covers education for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5445 or vbuhain@theolympian.com. Scott to address Capital High
Craig Scott, the brother of Columbine shooting victim Rachel Scott, will speak at Capital High School, 2707 Conger Ave., at 7 p.m. Jan. 25. The event is open to the public.
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Copyright (c) 2007, The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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