Over 5,000 paper chain links, each representing a caring act, is enough to encircle school building

Story and photos by Cary Griffin, Forney Messenger

During an outdoor rally last Friday morning, May 29, students at Lewis Elementary demonstrated the strength of a commitment they made to Rachel’s Challenge at the beginning of school year 2008-2009.

Lewis Elementary was Forney’s pilot campus for Rachel’s Challenge, a program inspired by the life of Rachel Scott, a student who in her short life lived in the belief that a single act of kindness would grow into a chain reaction of caring that could change schools and communities. In Rachel’s Challenge, students are challenged to perform as many acts of caring as possible for their peers, their families,  and their teachers and others in their lives. Participating students were also eligible to belong to a campus  Kindness and Compassion (KC) Club. For each reported kind deed, KC Club members made a paper chain link. The goal was to create enough links to make a chain that would reach around the Lewis Elementary School building.

The purpose of Friday’s Rachel’s Rally was to demonstrate Lewis students’ commitment by unraveling the paper chain to see if the students had met the goal they had set for themselves at the beginning of the school year.

The rally, which took place outdoors under clear skies, began at 8:30 a. m. as officers of the KC Club unfurled the Rachel’s Challenge banner students signed in the fall declaring their acceptance of the Challenge. In addition to the KC Club members and participating students, various elements of the community of Forney were represented. They included members of the Forney Fire Department, members of the Forney Police Department, and Mayor Darren Rozell. School district officials who were present included Superintendent Dr. Darrell Brown. A percussion unit from Forney High School provided a backdrop that helped to create interest and build suspense.

The KC Club’s sponsor, Lewis Elementary Counselor Tanya Armstrong, acted as Mistress of Ceremonies.

After a welcome and introductions by Lewis Elementary School Principal Shellie Baird, Lewis Elementary sixth grader Gabby Gonzalez, president of the KC Club, gave a short speech. Her talk included an overview of what the KC Club has accomplished during its first year.

Next, Assistant Principal Dr. Amie Pennington introduced Mayor Darren Rozell, and, a few minutes later, School Superintendent Dr. Darrell Brown. The two adults gave short presentations of their own.

“I see your 5,000 links, but I (also) see over 10,000 people who (were made to) feel nice,” the Mayor told the Rachel’s Challenge students at one point.

School Superintendent Dr. Darrell Brown told the Rachel’s Challenge students that they had “taken on accountability” by acting as a force for kindness.

“We need to embrace that,” Dr. Brown declared. Then he thanked everyone at Lewis Elementary who had embraced Rachel’s Challenge.

A balloon release followed Dr. Brown’s presentation. From in front of the school building, students released red and white helium-filled balloons representing the colors of Rachel’s Challenge.

Before the short program began, students had brought out the paper chain representing their acts of kindness and compassion. Now it was time to see if it would reach around the building. Students formed a line and gradually extended the chain. It took approximately 15 minutes to fully extend the links, which ended up meeting at a gate at the southeast corner of the building.

The students cheered. The challenge had been met successfully. The chain formed an unbroken ring around Lewis Elementary!

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This story and any accompanying photo(s) were originally published in the Forney Messenger and are Copyright © 2009, Forney Messenger, Inc. and have been used by permission. The Forney Messenger is the publisher of Kaufman County’s oldest newspaper and may be found online at www.ForneyMessengerInc.com.