As the Harvest Festival and Parade quickly approach, the Wolfforth Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture has announced the 2018 Parade Grand Marshal. “We are excited to have a group of students from the Frenship High School 9th Grade Center as our Grand Marshals this year. These students are part of the Friends of Rachel Leadership Team at their school and we think they are a great representation of this year’s parade theme, Sprinkle Kindness!” says Terri Robinette, Director of the Chamber.
The FHS 9th Grade Center began Rachel’s Challenge last year in its first year of opening. Rachel Joy Scott was the first person killed in the Columbine High School shooting on April 20, 1999. After her death, many students that Rachel reached out to shared stories with the Scott Family about the profound impact her simple acts of kindness had on their lives; even preventing one young man for taking his own life. The family soon realized the transformational effect of Rachel’s story and started the non-profit organization that is Rachel’s Challenge today. Rachel’s vision was to start a chain reaction of kindness and compassion and is the basis for their mission: Making schools safer, more connected places where bullying and violence are replaced with kindness and respect; and where learning and teaching are awakened to their fullest. (https://rachelschallenge.org/)
The FOR (Friends of Rachel) Club within the Frenship Ninth Grade Center has a mission to put into practice what they learned in their Rachel’s Challenge assembly and foster a permanent culture of kindness and compassion on their campus. Their training started with a limited, yet powerful, time of sharing about what the assembly meant to participants and the school community. The bulk of the training goes into specific instructions on why the Club is important, how it is unique, activities that have worked at other schools and how to plan for their first meeting and first activity. The FOR Training creates a bond between the participants and provides practical ways to sustain the momentum created by the assembly through the balance of the school year and beyond. Students and adult sponsors are equipped with tools and activities designed to help make the FOR Club their own and thereby foster an environment of respect and caring within their school and community.
If you are visiting the 9th Grade Center on a Friday, you will see the kids participate in “High Five Friday” or hear music playing throughout passing periods. The group has also started a Sticky Note Wall where students and teachers can add or take an encouraging note!
“We are honored to have this amazing group of leaders as our Grand Marshals. I think we can all learn a lesson as to how important being kind is in everything we do! We look forward to seeing everyone come out as we Sprinkle Kindness throughout our community on Harvest Festival Day, October 13!”
