DECATUR -- April 20, 1999, began in the usual way in Littleton, Colorado's Columbine High School. Teachers worked on their lesson plans and students either went to class, studied in the library or simply reflected under a tree about life. But soon this sleepy little town would become the focal point for one of the most infamous crimes in late 20th-century history.
Craig Scott, a survivor of the Columbine massacre, was in Decatur Thursday to give a series of talks to students and teachers at Decatur Middle and High Schools, and to the community, about the Columbine tragedy, as well as reaching out to students who wanted and needed help coping with the many ups and downs that life throws at them each day.
The Decatur and Highfill police departments were on hand at not only the middle and high schools but Northside Elementary in support of the Decatur School District.
He started the morning with an assembly at Peterson Gym, recounting the moments leading up to the Columbine massacre and the events during and afterward. A strange hush came over the gym as the students and teachers fixated on Craig's every word.
Scott spoke about the event that forever changed his life and how he turned tragedy into triumph. His Value Up program deals with topics of concern to most young people, such as bullying, violence and social anxiety. In the 20 years since the massacre, Scott has traveled the country talking to over a million students about subjects relating to value and self-worth.
Under a tree outside of the school building, 17-year-old Rachel Joy Scott, a junior at Columbine, was eating lunch and waiting for a friend when seniors Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold opened fire on her and other students gathered near the school's entrance. Rachel Scott was the first victim of the massacre that claimed the life of 12 students and a teacher. Harris and Klebold also took their own lives, becoming the 14th and 15th victims.
"My sister was asked earlier to hang out with a small group of the popular girls," Craig recalled. " But she decided instead to meet a boy who himself was going through a very hard time. That was the way Rachel was, always reaching out and helping others before herself."
Craig, along with two friends, was in the library studying when the shooting began.
"I heard a series of pops outside the library windows," Craig recounted. "Then, one of the teachers came in and told us that someone was shooting people in the hallways and to get under the desk."
Little did Craig know at the time that the pops he heard outside the windows marked the moment that Rachel, his beloved sister, died.
The two shooters, armed with semi-automatic weapons, shotguns and homemade bombs, made their way through the hallway and eventually into the library where they once again began their random shootings.
"I was terrified and couldn't move," Craig remembers.
Craig's lack of movement when the gunman walked by him and his two companions saved his life. But his friends, one on either side, were not as lucky. They died in the library -- where most of the victims lost that day died, including Harris and Klebold. He found out later that Rachel was the first victim of what news reports labeled a massacre.
As the nation mourned the loss of the 15 lives and helped the 21 injured, as well as the community of Littleton, cope with the senseless act of violence, the Scott family laid Rachel Joy to rest in one of the biggest and highly published funeral services of the tragic event.
For Scott, coping with the loss of his sister and best friends was unbearable. Two events would eventually bring him out of this negative experience and propel him into a positive carrying on of the work his sister started.
Craig was asked over and over, days after the massacre, what it was like to be in that situation. One day his little brother asked the question and Craig snapped. He grabbed his bother and shook him shouting, "You want to know what it was like, you want to know?" It was at that moment that Craig realized he was becoming like the two shooters. It was that moment when he began to turn his life around. Little did he know at the time that the chance encounter with a stranger would pull him out of his negative state.
Rachel loved to travel. In the summer after the event, she was to travel to South Africa with a church group. The leader of that group asked Craig if he wanted to take her place on the trip and he agreed.
"The bus driver we had on the trip was an interesting person," Craig said. "Everyday he would sing this one particular song and sing it in his remarkable style. I play that same song every day, a different performer who sounds very much like that bus driver."
Craig was restless at one event and ventured out of the tent after curfew. The bus driver happened to be up roaming as well and sensed something was bothering Craig.
The bus driver uttered four simple words that would forever change Craig's life, "Tell me your story."
So Craig recounted once again the Columbine massacre.
When Craig finished, the bus driver smiled and began recounting his own personal tragedy.
"He told me that 17 members of his family, including his wife, children, and parents -- in fact, his entire village -- were massacred in a raid on his village," Craig recalled. "He was the only member of his family that survived. It was at that moment that this simple man became a mentor and a friend. A simple stranger reaching out and helping someone, just as Rachel did."
Another simple phrase became a rallying point in Craig's life and foiled the long-term effects the shooters sought.
"Forgiveness is like setting a prisoner free and finding out that prisoner is you."
He decided to carry on Rachel's legacy by touring the country and reaching out to school kids, teachers, parents and communities with one simple message, that each kid has potential to be whatever he or she wants to be.
After the assembly, Craig visited each classroom, where he was able to get one-on-one time with some of the "at-risk" students. After school, he took time with the teachers.
A cookout in the high school cafeteria, hosted by Decatur Schools with the help of the Decatur Chamber of Commerce, was opened to the Decatur community. Several area residents took advantage of the hot dog and hamburger feast. It was a perfect opportunity for the many residents of Decatur to come together for an afternoon of fellowship, the end result of Craig's program.
Craig gave a modified version of his morning session to the Decatur community, with several in attendance. Near the conclusion of the evening event, Craig asked all to reach out and hug the people next to them, just as he did for the kids earlier. He played the popular song, "Lean on Me," as everybody swayed in fellowship to the music.
He concluded his program with one simple word that was the basis for Rachel Joy Scott's life, "Dream!"
The lesson? One simple act of kindness, one person reaching out to another can turn a tragedy into a triumph.
General News on 09/04/2019