Nicole Nowlen gives a presentation to Tokay High School students Wednesday morning in the school gym. The presentation was about student Rachel Joy Scott, who died during the shooting tragedy at Columbine High School. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

'Dare to dream'

Columbine survivor shares message of kindness with Tokay High

Rachel Scott, a student at Columbine High School during the 1999 shooting, was shot and killed during the rampage as she ate lunch with her friend.

Shortly after her death, her parents found one of their daughter's many scrawlings on the back of a clothes dresser.

Within outlines of both her hands, Rachel Scott wrote these words: "These hands belong to Rachel Joy Scott and will someday touch millions of people's hearts."

Those hands touched the hearts of Tokay High School students Wednesday as Columbine survivor Nicole Nowlen, 25, shared Rachel's life of kindness and compassion at an assembly called Rachel's Challenge.

Although Nowlen never knew Rachel Scott, she too suffered the consequences of the vicious attacks carried out by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

During the shooting, Nowlen hid under a table in the library, holding the hand of student John Tomlin. Nowlen left the school's library with nine pieces of buckshot lodged in her body. Tomlin died trying to crawl to safety.

Now, Nowlen travels the country sharing her story and asking students to accept Rachel Scott's challenge to treat others with kindness.

The presentation was held three times at Tokay High on Wednesday — twice for students, once for parents — and it will be held again today at McNair High School. The five presentations cost the district $3,700.

Seniors Hillary Schrock, Korina King and Zack Schallberger, all 17, said the assembly opened their eyes to what can happen when people aren't nice to each other.

Tokay High senior Brandon Ku, 17, thanks Nicole Nowlen on Wednesday morning, for giving a presentation at Tokay High School about Rachel Joy Scott, a student who died during the Columbine shootings. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

"Because you don't think about it when you're doing it," Schrock said.

After a video depicting graphic images of the shooting, including school books surrounded by blood, Nowlen told the story of Rachel's brother Craig Scott, who was also in the library during the shooting. Not only did Craig Scott lose his sister, passing her body as he escaped through the school's west entrance, he lost the two friends, Isaiah Shoels and Matthew Kechter, with whom he was hiding under a group of tables.

In a video of an interview with Craig Scott shown at the presentation, he remembers the shooters taunting Shoels with racial slurs before killing him, and laments the fact that those slurs were one of the last things his friend heard.

After the story, Nowlen dared students to accept Rachel's first challenge to "look for the best in others," something Rachel wrote about.

"I do believe that what goes around comes around," Nowlen said before asking students to try out the practice for the next 30 days.

Next, Nowlen introduced Rachel's second challenge: "Dare to dream. Write down goals. Keep a journal."

During her life, Rachel kept a total of six journals in which she wrote about her goals and dreams of reaching others through kindness.

Rachel's parents recovered two of those journals, one of which has a hole in it from where it was hit by a bullet, from her backpack after she was killed.

Nowlen often compared Rachel to Anne Frank, another young, idealistic woman who kept journals and was killed when she was a teenager.

Nowlen quoted a study done by researchers at Harvard University, who said people who write down their goals are 10 times more likely to accomplish them than people who don't.

Next, Nowlen presented Rachel's third and fourth challenges: "Choose positive influences" and use "kind words."

During her life, Rachel influenced many people's lives through kindness, Nowlen said.

Once she stepped in front of a group of bullies hassling a disabled student.

"If you touch him again you'll have to go through me," she said.

Another time she brought her friends to a lunch table where a girl new to Columbine High was eating alone.

Nowlen asked Tokay High students to remember these acts of kindness as they live their lives.

"You can make a difference by just being kind to somebody," Nowlen said.

Lastly, Nowlen presented Rachel's fifth challenge: "Start a chain reaction" by talking to those who are truly important to you.

"My hope is that you will want to be an impact on the world just as she has," Nowlen said.

As the presentation ended, Principal Erik Sandstrom took the microphone.

"Everyone has seen this presentation today. Imagine if everyone accepts this challenge," Sandstrom said.

After students were dismissed, several stayed to talk to Nowlen. One of those students was senior Brandon Ku, 17.

Ku said he's seen a lot of presentations in his student career, but for some reason this one stood out.

Ku feels that in today's society, people are too focused on themselves and don't think of others often enough.

"As long as you can affect one person in some sort of way, you've done something good," Ku said.

Contact reporter Amanda Dyer at amandad@lodinews.com.