Rachel's Challenge Supported By Area Schools

Mike Glover, the assistant principal at McHenry Middle School, supports Rachel’s Challenge and recommends it for any organization. The school held the assembly in 2010. 

“It was not easy to secure the date, the funding, or preparing our staff and students to properly receive the message. Taking all of that into account, I would do it all over again, every year to keep the thought of being positive with one another in the front of students’ minds,” he said. 

He said the program is more than just the student assembly but about what direction the student body takes afterwards. Students at his school were strongly affected from the presentation and maintained the feeling by creating their own acts of kindness chains and hand prints with goal statements on lockers throughout the school. In addition, the schools Make A Difference Club has been promoting positive behavior throughout the student body. 

“It is my hope that student ownership will continue to promote ‘being kind to one another’ and reduce the number of bullying incidents at McHenry Middle School,” he said. “I know that this presentation has helped our climate. We have a good group of students and staff to help promote/model positive behavior every day.  Through student leadership, Rachel's Challenge can become a meaningful part of McHenry Middle School this year and in the years to come.”

Crystal Lake parents plan to petition Prairie Ridge, Central and South high schools to reconsider its decision to implement Rachel's Challenge into their schools.

Over 90 Illinois schools have used Rachel’s Challenge, which promotes kindness and respect through powerful school assembly programs, training and community outreach seminars.

Mundelein High School and Fremont, West Oak and Carl Sandburg middle schools have all incorporated Rachel’s Challenge. In addition, the community event that followed the high school’s student assembly presentation and training attracted the Mundelein Police Department to become involved as well. Each school paid a $1,700 fee for the events, said Mundelein High School Principal Lauren Sagal. 

Sagal said the high school did not have any anti-bullying programs in place when it learned of Rachel’s Challenge.

“We were in a great position to say we really need something,” she said. “It was really good timing.” 

Sagal said students seemed enthralled by the presentation, perhaps in part because it was about a student their age. 

The response of the students in all the schools and the community has been phenomenal, Sagal said. Students, parents and teachers lauded the presentations. 

“Everyone thought that the message was important and that it was presented in an engaging way for our students and that we needed to continue the message,” she said. 

Rachel’s Challenge provided suggestions for activities and social events to promote the message and the combined schools are considering a Rachel’s Challenge rally at the high school next year where everyone could participate in a charity event. 

“There’s endless ways to celebrate and promote treating others well,” Sagal said.