“˜Missing Students’ remembers Columbine victim Rachel Scott
By Leila Kamgar
Jan. 22, 2003 9:00 p.m.
Over three years after the worst school shooting in U.S.
history, students packed Ackerman Grand Ballroom Tuesday night to
hear about the life and legacy of one of the victims.
Darrell Scott’s speech, entitled “Missing
Students,” recounted with veneration the life of his deceased
daughter, Rachel Joy Scott.
Scott’s talk rekindled painful memories of April 20,1999,
when two student gunmen launched a shooting rampage leaving 12
Columbine High School students and one teacher dead, and countless
emotionally wounded.
Rachel’s peer, Eric Harris, shot her execution-style after
she affirmed her belief in God. A “missing student,”
Rachel would now be 21 years old, a third-year in college.
Amid heart-wrenching videotape of Columbine news coverage and
photos of Rachel, somber students listened to Darrell Scott share
the messages of his daughter, documented in her copious journal
musings that were inspired by Anne Frank.
“Tomorrow is not a promise, but a chance,” wrote
Rachel Scott in one of her prophetic entries.
Rachel’s friends and family describe her as someone who
had a reputation for compassion ““ a will to “reach the
unreached.”
Rachel’s essay “My Ethics, My Codes of Life,”
written shortly before her death, expressed her theory that
“if one person can go out of their way to show compassion,
then it will start a chain reaction.”
Today, Rachel’s memory and dream lives on through her
father, who tours the country speaking for Christian, political and
educational groups advocating implementation of
“Rachel’s Challenge,” a set of guidelines aimed
at stopping violence in the nation’s schools.
Proceeds from the speaking events and Darrell Scott’s
books “Rachel’s Tears,” “Chain
Reaction” and “Rachel Smiles” go to two nonprofit
organizations ““ Columbine Redemption and Rachel’s
Challenge ““ created to prevent the reoccurrence of
tragedy.
Scott explains his newly acquired role on the speaking circuit
as “something that just unfolded after (his) speech to
Congress.”
“I realized I had a platform, because of the tragedy, to
make a difference,” he said.
In his May 27, 1999 speech to Congress, Scott said,
“Political posturing and restrictive legislation are not the
answers. The young people of our nation hold the key.”
As Scott noted Tuesday night, “After Columbine, everybody
was screaming about gun control, but it’s not the instrument
of death that matters, it’s the influences on the
heart.”
He admitted it is sometimes hard for him to speak about his
daughter Rachel, but he considers it worthwhile.
“It’s well worth it when I see students’
responses ““ the impact is what motivates me,” he
said.
The night’s sponsors, Campus Crusade for Christ and other
Christian organizations, heavily promoted the event. Bright green
shirts emblazoned with “Missing Students” speckled
campus crowds, fliers were distributed on Bruin Walk, and countless
classroom chalkboards and whiteboards posted announcements of the
event.
Feedback following the event was overwhelmingly positive.
“I thought tonight was great. This is the first time
I’d heard about Rachel’s story,” said fourth-year
psychobiology and English student Chris Fromm.
A friend invited Jennifer Du, a second-year psychology and
political science student.
“I’m not the most religious person, but seeing how
one person’s life can affect so many just opened my eyes …
I think that tonight was powerful for Christians and non-Christians
alike. You walk away from it different than you were before,”
she said.
