Rachel Scott

{{Short description|American murder victim (1981–1999)}} {{other people}} {{Use American English|date=December 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2017}} {{Infobox person | name = Rachel Scott | image = Rachel Joy Scott.jpg | caption = Scott in 1997 | birth_name = Rachel Joy Scott | birth_date = {{birth date|1981|8|5}} | birth_place = Denver, Colorado, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|1999|4|20|1981|8|5}} | death_place = Columbine, Colorado, U.S. | death_cause = Gunshot wounds | burial_place = Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, Centennial, Colorado, U.S. | resting_place_coordinates = {{coord|39|35|56.00|N|104|56|43.01|W|display=inline,title}} | occupation = {{hlist|Student}} | known_for = | signature = Rachel Joy Scott's signature.svg | website = }} {{Columbine High School massacre}}

'''Rachel Joy Scott''' (August 5, 1981 – April 20, 1999) was an American student who was the first victim of the Columbine High School massacre, in which twelve other students and one teacher were killed by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who then committed suicide. During the time of the massacre, Scott was eating lunch with her friend Richard Castaldo outside the school, when Eric Harris shot her four times with a Hi-Point 995. Castaldo survived, but Scott died from the injuries she sustained. Her body was left outside and was not retrieved until the following morning.

Born in Colorado, Scott was a sociable girl, who often displayed concern for the well-being of others if they were in need. She converted to Christianity in March 1993 after visiting the church her aunt and uncle attended, because of her faith, she was occasionally a victim of mockery and bullying by several of her peers. Scott struggled with self-esteem issues growing up, being described as "blinded by her own beauty". At an early age, she developed an interest for photography and poetry. Before enrolling in Columbine High School in the ninth grade, Scott previously attended Ken Caryl Middle School, and Dutch Creek Elementary School.

On the day after the shooting, Scott's car was turned into a makeshift memorial, with a chain-link fence around the vehicle for mourners to leave their tokens of grief. Her funeral was the most watched broadcast in CNN history at the time. Scott has been revered by groups of evangelical Christians as a Christian martyr, although the circumstances surrounding her death and martyrdom have been disputed. She posthumously was the subject and co-writer of several books, and also was the inspiration for and namesake of Rachel's Challenge, an international school outreach program and the most popular school assembly program in the United States. The aim of Rachel's Challenge is to advocate Scott's values, based on her life, her journals, and the contents of a two-page essay, penned a month before her murder, entitled ''My Ethics; My Codes of Life''.

==Early life== ===Childhood=== Rachel Joy Scott was born in Denver, Colorado,<ref name=":0" /> on August 5, 1981.<ref name=OOLdeceasedJCSO/><ref>{{cite book|title=Rachel's Tears: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine|pages=9}}</ref><ref name="margaritoff"/> She was the third of five children born to Darrell Scott and Beth Nimmo (née Cecrle).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zimmermanbrosfh.com/obituary/RevPaul-Cecrle|title=Obituary for Rev. Paul M. Cecrle|website=www.zimmermanbrosfh.com|date=March 2013|archive-date=May 17, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260517224737/https://www.zimmermanbrosfh.com/obituary/RevPaul-Cecrle |url-status=live}}</ref> The family are devout Christians.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Journals of Rachel Scott: A Journey of Faith at Columbine High|page=12}}</ref> Her father was previously a pastor in Lakewood, Colorado, and worked as a sales manager for a Denver-based food company; her mother was a homemaker. Rachel's parents divorced in 1988 but maintained a cordial relationship<ref name=Tears57>{{cite book |author=Beth Nimmo and Darrell Scott |title=Rachel's Tears—The Spiritual Journey of Columbine Martyr Rachel Scott |year=2000 |publisher=Thomas Nelson Publishers |location=Nashville, Tenn. |isbn=0-7852-6848-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/rachelstearsspir00scot_0/page/57 57, 61, 173] |url=https://archive.org/details/rachelstearsspir00scot_0/page/57 }}</ref> and held joint custody of the children.<ref>{{cite book|title=Rachel's Tears: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine|pages=32}}</ref><ref name=Gwynne>{{cite magazine|author=S.C. Gwynne |title=An Act of God? |date=December 20, 1999 |magazine=Time magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,992875,00.html?promoid=googlep |access-date=May 5, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828025920/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C992875%2C00.html?promoid=googlep |archive-date=August 28, 2009 }}</ref> Beth and her children relocated to Littleton, Colorado the following year, where she later remarried in 1995.<ref name=Tears57 />

As a child, Scott was an energetic, sociable girl, who displayed concern for the well-being of others, particularly if they were downcast or otherwise in need.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=About Rachel Joy Scott {{!}} How Her Story Saves Lives |url=https://rachelschallenge.org/our-story/about-rachel/ |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=Rachel's Challenge |language=en-US |archive-date=February 14, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260214155616/https://rachelschallenge.org/our-story/about-rachel/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rachel Joy Scott Memorial {{!}} Racheljoyscott.com {{!}} Rachel's Story |url=https://www.racheljoyscott.com/rachel-s-story |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=racheljoyscott |language=en |archive-date=January 15, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260115215506/https://www.racheljoyscott.com/rachel-s-story |url-status=live }}</ref> She developed a passion for photography and poetry at an early age. Scott attended Dutch Creek Elementary School and Ken Caryl Middle School before she enrolled in Columbine High School in the ninth grade. At Columbine, she was an attentive, above-average student who displayed a flair for music, acting, drama, and debate. She was a member of the school's forensics and drama clubs.<ref name="auto">{{cite news|url=http://extras.denverpost.com/news/shot0423j.htm |title=Rachel Scott |access-date=September 14, 2016 |newspaper=The Denver Post |date=April 23, 1999 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923152839/http://extras.denverpost.com/news/shot0423j.htm |archive-date=September 23, 2016 }}</ref> As acting did not initially come easily to her, she devoted extra effort to succeed.<ref name="auto1">''Rachel's Tears'', pg. 46</ref>

===Adolescence and Christian beliefs=== When Scott was 11 in March 1993, she visited the church that her aunt and uncle attended in Shreveport, Louisiana, and chose to convert to Christianity.<ref>''The Journals of Rachel Scott: A Journey of Faith at Columbine High'' p. 3</ref> By April 1998, when she was at Columbine High School, five of her closest friends had distanced themselves from her because of her increasing commitment to her faith. Furthermore, she was occasionally subjected to mockery by several of her peers because of her faith.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Rachel's Tears: 10th Anniversary Edition: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine|page=117}}</ref><ref name=CraigRevisit>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/10/craig-scott-columbine-mas_n_3054909.html |title=Craig Scott, Columbine Massacre Survivor, Revisits the High School and Remembers his Murdered Sister Rachel Scott |access-date=March 4, 2017 |newspaper=The Huffington Post |date=April 10, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021073823/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/10/craig-scott-columbine-mas_n_3054909.html |archive-date=October 21, 2016 }}</ref> Scott described this in a letter to a relative a year prior to her death, writing: "Now that I have begun to walk my talk, they make fun of me. I don't even know what I have done. I don't even have to say anything, and they turn me away. I have no more personal friends at school. But you know what, it's all worth it."<ref>{{Cite book|title=Rachel's Tears: 10th Anniversary Edition: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine|page=96}}</ref>

On many occasions throughout Scott's adolescence, her family observed her in prayer both at home and at church. Her mother said that her daughter would regularly pray on her knees, with her head bowed, her hands upon her face, and that often, these particular prayer rituals brought tears to Scott's eyes. On one occasion, this included writing a prayer for one of the future perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www1.cbn.com/700club/face-death-craig-scott-revisits-columbine-shooting |title=In the Face of Death: Craig Scott Revisits the Columbine Shooting |publisher=CBN.com |date=July 22, 2002 |access-date=September 6, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915105650/http://www1.cbn.com/700club/face-death-craig-scott-revisits-columbine-shooting |archive-date=September 15, 2016 }}</ref><ref>}{{Cite book|title=The Journals of Rachel Scott: A Journey of Faith at Columbine High|page=27}}</ref>

By the age of 17, Scott was a regular attendee of three churches: Celebration Christian Fellowship; Orchard Road Christian Center; and Trinity Christian Center, where she choreographed dances at Sunday service. She was also an active member of church youth groups; at the Orchard Road Christian Center, she attended a youth group named "Breakthrough", where she displayed a passionate interest in both evangelism and discipleship. Scott wrote in her journals that her spiritual awareness developed greatly through attending this youth group, and she became known as a leading advocate within it.<ref>{{cite book|title=Rachel's Tears: 10th Anniversary Edition: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine|pages=117}}</ref>

==Personal life== Scott struggled with self-esteem issues as a teenager, and was later described by her family as "blind to her own beauty".<ref name="auto1"/> By the age of 17, although popular among her peers, she occasionally resisted attending certain social events with friends out of fear she would succumb to the temptation of drinking alcohol.<ref>{{cite book|title=Rachel's Tears: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine|pages=48}}</ref> In her mid-teens, Scott had a serious relationship with a boy, but chose to end it over concerns that it might develop into a physical encounter.<ref>{{cite book|title=Rachel's Tears: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine|pages=45}}</ref> Throughout high school, she expressed a desire to support fellow students who were marginalized or otherwise isolated. According to her writings, she strove to "reach out to those with special needs because they are often overlooked […] to those who are new in school because they don't have any friends yet […] and to those who are picked on or put down by others."<ref name=":0" />

According to friends, Scott often chose to wear clothes of a style reflecting her colorful personality, and occasionally wore eccentric hats, fedoras, or even pajamas to amuse her companions.<ref name="auto2">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1696&dat=19990425&id=NLMaAAAAIBAJ&pg=6781,3540368&hl=en/|title=Friends tell victim goodbye|access-date=September 10, 2016|newspaper=Daily News|date=April 25, 1999|archive-date=June 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621160444/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1696&dat=19990425&id=NLMaAAAAIBAJ&pg=6781,3540368&hl=en/|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition to her passion for fashion, music, and photography, she was an avid viewer of classic movies, and often spoke of her desire to become a renowned Hollywood actress.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2169&dat=20080215&id=NlslAAAAIBAJ&pg=2749,3629952&hl=en/|title=Rachel Scott touched 'millions of people's lives|access-date=September 21, 2016|newspaper=Hollis Brookline Journal|date=April 15, 2008|archive-date=August 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829060220/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2169&dat=20080215&id=NlslAAAAIBAJ&pg=2749,3629952&hl=en/|url-status=live}}</ref> She is known to have conveyed these aspirations to her family and to have combined her sense of humor into everyday family life with lighthearted gestures such as leaving a message on her family's answering machine stating: "You have reached the residence of Queen Rachel and her servants, Larry, Beth, Dana, Craig, and Michael. If you have anything you'd like them to do for me, please leave a message."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/united-they-stand-vol-51-no-17/ |title=United They Stand |publisher=people.com |date=May 10, 1999 |access-date=October 8, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010081811/https://people.com/archive/united-they-stand-vol-51-no-17/ |archive-date=October 10, 2016 }}</ref>

Scott was an aspiring writer and actress. In 1998, she performed a mime act to the song "Watch the Lamb" at the school talent show. The tape jammed halfway through the song, Dylan Klebold, who ran audio for the school theater production club, came to her rescue and fixed the tape, leading her to thank him afterwards.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l0IlAQAAIAAJ|title=Day of Reckoning: Columbine and the Search for America's Soul|access-date=October 5, 2018|date=2001|page=183|first=Wendy Murray|last=Zoba|publisher=Brazos Press |isbn=9781587430015|quote=Devon Adams, who was a friend of Rachel and Dylan, was in the sound booth with him when it happened. She said Dylan rescued Rachel's performance. 'He was freakin' out,' she said. 'He's going, 'Stupid tape!' Rachel kept going, and he tried his best to get it back up. It was just a bad tape. He got it to work better than it had been. He adjusted the levels a little bit and it came out okay.' Devon said Rachel was 'a wreck' after that performance but that she thanked Dylan for fixing the tape.}}</ref> Rachel's sister would later perform the same mime act at her funeral.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://acolumbinesite.com/victim/rachel.html |title=Rachel Joy Scott |publisher=Acolumbinesite.com |date=August 5, 1981 |access-date=December 10, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028090308/http://acolumbinesite.com/victim/rachel.html |archive-date=October 28, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.famousinterview.ca/interviews/beth_nimmo.htm |title=Beth Nimmo Interview |publisher=famousinterview.ca |date=April 27, 2009 |access-date=October 3, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002120702/https://www.famousinterview.ca/interviews/beth_nimmo.htm |archive-date=October 2, 2016 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last= Cullen|first= Dave|date= 2009|title= Columbine|url= https://archive.org/details/columbine00cull|url-access= registration|location= United States|publisher= Twelve (Hachette Book Group)|page= [https://archive.org/details/columbine00cull/page/18 18]|isbn= 978-0-446-54693-5|access-date= February 7, 2018|df= mdy-all}}</ref>

At the time of her death at age 17, Scott lived in Columbine, Colorado<!--From the CDP map: https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/blk1990/st08_Colorado/08059_Jefferson/90B08059_030.pdf it was there, and not in the Littleton city limits. See https://www.littletonco.gov/Community/Map-Gallery/Littleton-ZIP-Codes which explains not every place with a Littleton address is in Littleton--> and was debating as to whether she should become an actress or a Christian missionary.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19991127&id=q8kwAAAAIBAJ&pg=2269,3922533&hl=en/|title=Columbine Victim's Dad Traveling to Share his Daughter's Journal|access-date=September 21, 2016|newspaper=Toledo Blade|date=November 27, 1999|archive-date=May 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521085500/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19991127&id=q8kwAAAAIBAJ&pg=2269%2C3922533&hl=en%2F|url-status=live}}</ref> She also had plans to visit Botswana as a member of a Christian outreach program to build homes in the upcoming summer,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1842&dat=19990423&id=vWseAAAAIBAJ&pg=1579,3068939&hl=en/|title=Victims in High School had Big Dreams, Plans for Future|access-date=September 17, 2016|newspaper=Times Daily|date=April 23, 1999}}</ref> before moving into her own apartment in late 1999.<ref name=":31">{{cite news|author=J. Sebastian Sinisi and Julia C. Martinez|url=http://extras.denverpost.com/news/shot0425g.htm |title=Rachel's Joy Lives On |access-date=March 25, 2017 |newspaper=The Denver Post |date=April 25, 1999 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318165204/http://extras.denverpost.com/news/shot0425g.htm |archive-date=March 18, 2016 }}</ref>

==Murder== {{main|Columbine High School massacre#The massacre}}

[[File:Rachel_Joy_Scott_AcuraA.jpg|thumb|Scott's Acura Legend photographed within Clement Park following her murder.]]

Scott was eating lunch with her friend Richard Castaldo on the lawn outside the west entrance of the school at 11:19&nbsp;a.m., when Eric Harris shot her four times with a Hi-Point 995.<ref name=OOLdeceasedJCSO>{{Cite book|url=http://www.acolumbinesite.com/reports/cr/p11867-11870.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007023504/http://www.acolumbinesite.com/reports/cr/p11867-11870.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 7, 2018|page=JC-001-011868|chapter=Columbine High – OOL Deceased|access-date=October 6, 2018|title=Columbine High School 99-7625 Evidence|volume=2|publisher=Jefferson County Sheriff's Office|location=Colorado}}</ref> Initially shot in the chest, left arm, and left leg,<ref name="autopsyp1">{{Cite web |last=Dobersen |first=Michael J. |date=May 18, 1999 |title=Pathological Diagnoses |url=http://www.acolumbinesite.com/autopsies/rach1.gif |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904074251/http://www.acolumbinesite.com/autopsies/rach1.gif |archive-date=September 4, 2015 |access-date=September 4, 2015 |work=Scott, Rachel |publisher=Jefferson County Coroner's Office |page=1 |location=Colorado}}</ref> from a distance of 10 to 15 feet,{{sfn|Larkin|2007|pp=48, 199}} she sustained a fourth and fatal wound to her left temple.<ref name=autopsyp1/><ref>{{Cite book|title=The Martyrs of Columbine: Faith and the Politics of Tragedy|page=140}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kystandard.com/content/%E2%80%98thirteen-tears%E2%80%99-legacy-rachel-scott |title='Thirteen Tears': The Legacy of Rachel Scott |access-date=May 23, 2017 |newspaper=The Kentucky Standard |date=May 4, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619233356/http://www.kystandard.com/content/%E2%80%98thirteen-tears%E2%80%99-legacy-rachel-scott |archive-date=June 19, 2013 }}</ref> Castaldo was shot eight times and was left permanently paralyzed below the chest from his injuries.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Rachel's Tears: 10th Anniversary Edition: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine|pages=91–92}}</ref> Scott was pronounced dead at the scene.<ref name=autopsyp2>{{Cite web |url=http://www.acolumbinesite.com/autopsies/rach2.gif|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002191444/http://www.acolumbinesite.com/autopsies/rach2.gif|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 2, 2018|title=Opinions|work=Autopsy Report – Scott, Rachel|publisher=Jefferson County Coroner's Office|location=Colorado|page=2|date=May 18, 1999|first=Michael J.|last=Dobersen|access-date=May 9, 2026}}</ref> Her body was left outside the school and was not retrieved by the coroner until the following morning.<ref>{{cite book|location=Colorado|first=William H.|last=Erickson|publisher=State of Colorado|date=May 2001|url=https://schoolshooters.info/sites/default/files/Columbine%20-%20Governor%27s%20Commission%20Report.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003125908/https://schoolshooters.info/sites/default/files/Columbine%20-%20Governor%27s%20Commission%20Report.pdf|url-status=live|archive-date=October 3, 2018|title=The Report of Governor Bill Owens' Columbine Review Commission|page=83|access-date=October 6, 2018|quote=It was not until late the following morning, April 21st, that the coroner was permitted to move the bodies of Rachel Scott and Daniel Rohrbough into the school from where they lay outside it.}}</ref>

Immediately after killing Scott, Harris and Klebold went on a killing spree around the school, killing 12 more people and leaving 24 injured. The two perpetrators committed suicide in the school library, the place where they murdered the most victims.{{sfn|Larkin|2007|p=8}} Scott did not personally know Harris or Klebold.{{sfn|Larkin|2007|p=48}} After her death, Scott's car was turned into an impromptu memorial in the adjacent Clement Park after being moved from the school's parking lot by grieving students.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.acolumbinesite.com/victim/memorial.php |title=Columbine Memorials |website=acolumbinesite.com|access-date=May 9, 2026 |archive-date=July 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708072242/http://www.acolumbinesite.com/victim/memorial.php}}</ref> A chain-link fence was also installed around the vehicle for mourners to attach their tokens of grief such as flowers, crucifixes, teddy bears, and letters of condolence. The car was ultimately covered by the objects left upon it by mourners.<ref name="auto2"/> Scott's 16-year-old brother, Craig, was also at the school on the day of the massacre; he was in the library where most of the killings occurred; he survived unharmed, although two of his close friends were also murdered.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Rachel's Tears: 10th Anniversary Edition: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine|page=11}}</ref> Craig later expressed extreme regret for his last interaction with his sister: slamming a car door at her when being dropped off at school that morning.<ref name=CraigRevisit/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47FgHOVcfzE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/47FgHOVcfzE |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Craig Scott Reflects On The Columbine Shooting Nearly 20 Years Later – Survivor Stories – TODAY|last=TODAY|date=October 2, 2018|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Funeral== Scott was buried at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in Centennial on April 24, 1999, following a two-hour funeral service held at the Trinity Christian Center.<ref>{{cite book|title=Rachel's Tears: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine|pages=12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=348&dat=19990425&id=rGowAAAAIBAJ&pg=4365,7590876&hl=en|title=Littleton Funeral|newspaper=Rome News-Tribune|date=April 25, 1999|access-date=August 20, 2016|archive-date=April 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428095424/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=348&dat=19990425&id=rGowAAAAIBAJ&pg=4365,7590876&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> Her funeral was one of the first services following the massacre and was attended by nearly 2,000 people, including friends and staff at Columbine High School.<ref name=":31" /> The Reverend Porter began the service by addressing the congregation with the question, "What has happened to us as a people that this should happen to us?" He then addressed the solemn crowd with a speech that included references to Scott's pious character, kind nature and love of her fellow human, before stating: "You have graduated early from this life to a far better one, where there is no sorrow, violence or death."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/25/us/terror-in-littleton-the-details-attack-at-school-planned-a-year-authorities-say.html?pagewanted=all/|title=Terror in Littleton: the Details; Attack at School Planned a Year, Authorities Say|access-date=September 9, 2016|newspaper=New York Times|date=April 25, 1999|archive-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201140223/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/25/us/terror-in-littleton-the-details-attack-at-school-planned-a-year-authorities-say.html?pagewanted=all%2F|url-status=live}}</ref> Her friends from the Orchard Road Christian Church Youth Group also sang a song at the service, composed in her honor, entitled "Why Did You Have to Leave?"<ref name="auto4">{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1999/04/25/heart-wrenching-farewells-begin-in-grieving-town/ |title=Heart-wrenching Farewells Begin In Grieving Town |access-date=September 3, 2016 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=April 25, 1999 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310160455/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-04-25/news/9904250384_1_youth-pastor-casket-harris-and-klebold |archive-date=March 10, 2016 }}</ref> Attendees were invited to talk at the service, as "My Heart Will Go On" was played.<ref>{{cite book|title=Rachel's Tears: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine|pages=105}}</ref>

Those conveying their eulogies included one youth who had been considered an outcast at Columbine High School, who stated: "All my life I prayed that someone would love me and make me feel wanted. God sent me an angel," before staring at Scott's casket and weeping.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1999/04/25/heart-wrenching-farewells-begin-in-grieving-town/ |title=Heart-wrenching Farewells Begin In Grieving Town |access-date=August 26, 2016 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=April 25, 1999 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310160455/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-04-25/news/9904250384_1_youth-pastor-casket-harris-and-klebold |archive-date=March 10, 2016 }}</ref> Nick Baumgart, who accompanied Scott to the high school prom as her date three days before her murder, also spoke, saying: "A truer friend, you couldn't find. You could be having the worst day of your entire life; all she had to do was smile."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-apr-24-mn-30537-story.html |title=A Shared Grief |access-date=September 3, 2016 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=April 24, 1999 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918011414/http://articles.latimes.com/1999/apr/24/news/mn-30537 |archive-date=September 18, 2016 }}</ref> Scott's parents chose not to speak at the service, but issued a statement in which they described their daughter as "a girl whose love of life was constantly reflected in her love and zeal for music, drama, photography, and for her friends".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://extras.denverpost.com/news/shot0424m.htm |title=Friends, Family Mourn 4 Beloved Teens |access-date=May 25, 2017 |newspaper=The Denver Post |date=April 24, 1999 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318173159/http://extras.denverpost.com/news/shot0424m.htm |archive-date=March 18, 2016 }}</ref> Prior to her burial, mourners who had known Scott throughout her life were invited to write messages of condolence, grief and thankfulness on her ivory white casket.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/25/us/terror-in-littleton-the-details-attack-at-school-planned-a-year-authorities-say.html?pagewanted=all |title=Terror In Littleton: The Details; Attack at School Planned a Year, Authorities Say |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 25, 1999 |access-date=August 26, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828164535/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/25/us/terror-in-littleton-the-details-attack-at-school-planned-a-year-authorities-say.html?pagewanted=all |archive-date=August 28, 2016 }}</ref> Her coffin was adorned with messages of love, gratitude, and grief.<ref name="auto4"/> The funeral service was broadcast by CNN and MSNBC.{{sfn|Watson|2003|p=52}} At the time, the event was the most watched broadcast in ''CNN'' history.<ref>{{cite book|title=Rachel's Tears: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine|pages=13}}</ref>

==Legacy== ===Martyrdom=== The circumstances surrounding Scott's death and its relation to her religious beliefs are disputed.{{sfn|Senie|2016|p=113}} While Scott's mother made several claims, including that she had offered to be friends to Klebold, that Klebold was romantically interested in her, that Klebold and Harris mocked her for her religious beliefs,<ref name="vox" /> and that her daughter was on a "target list",<ref name="margaritoff">{{cite web |last=Margaritoff |first=Marco |date=March 25, 2019 |title=How 17-Year-Old Rachel Scott's Death At Columbine Made Her A National Martyr |url=https://allthatsinteresting.com/rachel-scott |access-date=May 9, 2026|website=All That's Interesting|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260407002634/https://allthatsinteresting.com/rachel-scott |archive-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref> investigations in the years following the shooting—especially Dave Cullen's findings in his book ''Columbine''—have concluded that Klebold and Harris were not targeting people for their religion, ethnicity, or gender.<ref name="vox" /><ref name="margaritoff" /> Scott did not know the two boys personally and was in a different academic grade level than them.{{sfn|Larkin|2007|p=48}}

The deaths of both Scott and fellow student and Columbine victim Cassie Bernall were both subsequently described by groups of evangelical Christians as Christian martyrs.<ref name="vox">{{Cite web |last=Wilkinson |first=Alissa |date=April 20, 2017 |title=After Columbine, martyrdom became a powerful fantasy for Christian teenagers |url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/4/20/15369442/columbine-anniversary-cassie-bernall-rachel-scott-martyrdom |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421163241/https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/4/20/15369442/columbine-anniversary-cassie-bernall-rachel-scott-martyrdom|archive-date=April 21, 2017 |access-date=April 9, 2026 |website=Vox |language=en}}</ref>{{sfn|Pike|2009|p=662}}{{sfn|Senie|2016|p=112}}{{refn|group=n|The precise circumstances surrounding Scott's death have been called into question.{{sfn|Senie|2016|p=113}}}} This began during Scott's funeral on April 24, 1999, which was televised. At the beginning of the ceremony, Barry Palser, a pastor from an Assemblies of God organization, gave a speech in which he said she was "one who has given [her] life for the Lord Jesus Christ, a modern-day martyr."{{sfn|Watson|2003|p=52}}{{refn|group=n|Palser also told ''The Washington Post'', "We consider her to be a Christian American martyr."<ref>{{cite news| last = Goldstein| first = Amy| title = In Colorado, Questions About Accomplices, 'Martyrs'; Deaths Seen In Christian Context| newspaper = The Washington Post| page = A3| date = 27 April 1999}}</ref>}} Pastor Bruce Porter delivered a sermon later in the service, in which he called Rachel a "warrior" who carried "a torch that was stained by the blood of the martyrs from the very first day of the Church's existence".{{sfn|Watson|2003|p=53}} Porter then requested that others pick up the "torch" in Scott's wake.{{sfn|Watson|2003|p=53}}

In the following year's numerous books—termed "hagiographies" by sociologist Ralph Larkin—were published about Scott and Bernall with the assistance of or authorship by their parents.{{sfn|Larkin|2007|p=39}}{{sfn|Pike|2009|p=661}} Porter also wrote a book about Scott, making frequent references to sacrifice.{{sfn|Pike|2009|pp=662–663}} Many web pages have been published that are specifically dedicated to Scott and she is prominently featured in more broadly themed Columbine memorial websites. Some of these sites explicitly or implicitly refer to Scott's belief in Christianity and suggest that she was killed because of it.{{sfn|Watson|2003|pp=56–57}} Journalist Hanna Rosin framed public remembrance of her death as part of a phenomenon in which teenage Christians began obsessing over Christian-based death, as a form of a martyr complex.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rosin |first=Hanna |date=14 October 1999 |title=COLUMBINE MIRACLE: A MATTER OF BELIEF: The Last Words of Littleton Victim Cassie Bernall Test a Survivor's Faith--and Charity |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-10/14/026r-101499-idx.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240807182633/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-10/14/026r-101499-idx.html |archive-date=August 7, 2024 |access-date=27 September 2024 |work=The Washington Post |pages=C01 }}</ref> Scott's mother and her brother Craig toured many schools across the United States years after the shooting to speak about Rachel's life, asserting that she probably died because of her religious beliefs.<ref name="margaritoff" /> Christian churches used the martyr narrative of Scott's and Bernall's deaths to promote themselves and recruit members.{{sfn|Senie|2016|p=112}}

A frequent feature of Rachel's martyr story is that she had a verbal exchange with Klebold and Harris about her religious beliefs before they killed her.{{sfn|Watson|2003|p=52}} ''The Hollywood Reporter'' accounts that Richard Castaldo, who was shot while sitting with Scott and survived, "told a newspaper that not only did the killers ask Rachel about her faith but that he, too, was asked if he believed in God, and he answered truthfully that he did not, and his life was spared."<ref name="Hollywood Reporter">{{cite news| last = Bond| first = Paul| title = Christian Film Stirs Controversy Over Columbine Massacre| newspaper = Hollywood Reporter| date = October 18, 2016| url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/christian-film-stirs-controversy-columbine-939282| access-date = March 23, 2020| archive-date = March 24, 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200324040408/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/christian-film-stirs-controversy-columbine-939282| url-status = live}}</ref> Other sources report that Castaldo had survived by "playing dead".<ref>{{cite news |last=Montero |first=Douglas |date=April 23, 1999 |title=Shot Student Played Dead To Survive |url=https://nypost.com/1999/04/23/shot-student-played-dead-to-survive/ |work=New York Post |access-date=December 29, 2020 |archive-date=April 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428095424/https://nypost.com/1999/04/23/shot-student-played-dead-to-survive/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=McDowell |first=Robin |date=August 14, 1999 |title=Columbine Victim, Father Face Fights |url=https://apnews.com/article/095ea7ae60b0369b0ce185ca34fe8bfd |work=Associated Press |access-date=December 29, 2020 |archive-date=May 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515101537/https://apnews.com/article/095ea7ae60b0369b0ce185ca34fe8bfd |url-status=live }}</ref> Castaldo was in a coma in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, and thus did not testify to police and his account was not included in the police report on the event.<ref name="Hollywood Reporter" /> Castaldo said in his speech at Scott's funeral, "People tell me I said she said she believed in God, and I can't remember it,"<ref>{{cite news |last=Simpson |first=Kevin |date=April 21, 2000 |title=Apology to Rachel's kin 'from the heart' |url=https://extras.denverpost.com/news/col0421injured.htm |work=Denver Post |access-date=December 29, 2020 |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112031208/https://extras.denverpost.com/news/col0421injured.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> and Larkin wrote in 2007 that Castaldo "could not remember Klebold or Harris saying anything."{{sfn|Larkin|2007|p=48}}

===''Rachel's Tears''=== {{main|Rachel's Tears}}

Reviewing their daughter's life and hearing firsthand just how profound an impact Scott's simple acts of kindness had imprinted on the lives of those who had known her, as well as recalling her repeatedly stated desire for her life to have an impact for the better on others,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2169&dat=20080215&id=NlslAAAAIBAJ&pg=2749,3629952&hl=en|title=Rachel Scott touched 'millions of people's lives|access-date=August 25, 2016|newspaper=Hollis Brookline Journal|date=April 15, 2008|archive-date=May 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515101539/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2169&dat=20080215&id=NlslAAAAIBAJ&pg=2749,3629952&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> Darrell Scott and Beth Nimmo were inspired to write the book ''Rachel's Tears'', a non-fiction book about their daughter, her faith, her inspirational journal entries, and the impact of her loss on their lives. The book was published on the first anniversary of her death, and is incorporated into the Rachel's Challenge program.

Scott and Nimmo later published two more books inspired by their daughter and her legacy: ''Rachel Smiles: The Spiritual Legacy of Columbine Martyr Rachel Scott'', and ''The Journals of Rachel Joy Scott: A Journey of Faith at Columbine High''. These books were published in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Both parents have expressed their hope that those who did not know their daughter would find inspiration in the books' description of the principles their daughter had lived during her life.<ref name="auto3">{{cite web|url=http://www.today.com/id/30015785/ns/today-today_books/t/remembering-columbine-victim-rachel-scott/ |title=Remembering Columbine victim Rachel Scott |publisher=today.com |date=April 20, 2009 |access-date=September 29, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002051945/http://www.today.com/id/30015785/ns/today-today_books/t/remembering-columbine-victim-rachel-scott/ |archive-date=October 2, 2016 }}</ref>

==Rachel's Challenge== {{main|Rachel's Challenge}}

After reading the essay, ''My Ethics; My Codes of Life'', and the journals Scott had written in the last 16 months of her life, her father founded Rachel's Challenge in 2001.<ref name="auto9">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2109&dat=20080117&id=DfwkAAAAIBAJ&pg=749,3513201&hl=en|title=Speaker challenges for positive impact|access-date=August 31, 2016|newspaper=The Wahkiakum County Eagle|date=January 17, 2008|archive-date=May 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515101537/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2109&dat=20080117&id=DfwkAAAAIBAJ&pg=749,3513201&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> Rachel's Challenge is a national nonprofit and nonpolitical organization<ref>{{cite news |title=Rachel's Challenge to offer small school programs |url=http://www.ktvb.com/story/news/local/2014/08/05/rural-rachels-challenge/13646977/ |last=Grey |first=Jamie |publisher=KTVB.com |date=August 5, 2014 |access-date=April 24, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140807061015/http://www.ktvb.com/story/news/local/2014/08/05/rural-rachels-challenge/13646977/ |archive-date=August 7, 2014 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> whose stated aims are to advocate a safe and positive climate and culture in schools in a campaign to quell school violence, bullying, discrimination, and both homicidal and suicidal thoughts in students. The annual international student outreach of the organization is estimated to be in excess of two million.<ref>[http://rachelschallenge.org/media/media_press_kit/Media_Fact_Sheet.pdf ''Rachel's Challenge: Media Fact Sheet''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919202727/http://rachelschallenge.org/media/media_press_kit/Media_Fact_Sheet.pdf |date=September 19, 2016 }}</ref> The program itself typically involves a one-hour audio and video presentation, hosted by the Rachel's Challenge speaker, to assembled students, with the aim of motivating those present to analyze how they treat others. The Rachel's Challenge speakers include Darrell, Craig and Mike Scott; guest speakers include Nicole Nowlen, who was wounded at age 16 in the Columbine High School massacre,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=20071129&id=rgVSAAAAIBAJ&pg=3873,2928051&hl=en|title=Columbine Survivor Shares Message of Kindness with Tokay High|access-date=September 16, 2016|newspaper=The Lodi News-Sentinel|date=November 29, 2007|archive-date=April 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428095424/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=20071129&id=rgVSAAAAIBAJ&pg=3873,2928051&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2166&dat=20070111&id=W_gyAAAAIBAJ&pg=1255,1331237&hl=en|title=Columbine Victim's Legacy Lives On|access-date=September 25, 2016|newspaper=The Quincy Valley Post-Register|date=January 11, 2007|archive-date=August 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829060220/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2166&dat=20070111&id=W_gyAAAAIBAJ&pg=1255,1331237&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> and Adam Kyler, a former Columbine student who had harbored suicidal thoughts until Rachel, noting he was the victim of bullying, offered her friendship and support.<ref>{{cite news|title=Links in Chain of Kindness|url=http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/links-in-chain-of-kindness/article_16549c4c-e17e-5d9d-9868-1bb8deb5b10e.html/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003000337/http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/links-in-chain-of-kindness/article_16549c4c-e17e-5d9d-9868-1bb8deb5b10e.html/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 3, 2018|last=Gelbwasser|first=Michael|location=North Attleboro, MA|work=The Sun Chronicle|date=December 2, 2009|access-date=October 2, 2018|quote=Scott recalled how Rachel approached Columbine student Adam Kyler after other students knocked books out of his hands. Rachel offered Kyler her support. 'Adam told us Rachel prevented him from taking his own life,' Scott said.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_58254.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002234817/https://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_58254.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 2, 2018|title=Columbine victim's sister urges students to act|access-date=October 2, 2018|location=Tarentum, PA |publisher=Trib Total Media, LLC|work=TribLIVE|date=October 2, 2001|first=Treshea N.|last=Wade|quote=Just days after the Columbine shooting, the Scott family met Adam Kyler, a school friend of Rachel's. Kyler told the family he had been teased his entire life – his nickname at the school was 'Alien,' Scott said. She said Kyler has a disorder that has disfigured his facial muscles. 'He told us that Rachel reached out to him every day by either saying something nice, hugging or smiling at him,' she said. 'He just started to cry as he told us his story. No one had ever done that for him before.' Kyler told us Rachel's random acts were the highlight of his day, she said. 'It is so powerful because he said he had thought about killing himself,' Scott said. 'But Rachel's little bit of interaction made life worth living, he thought.'}}</ref><ref name=anotherside>{{Cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/doylestown-intelligencer-jan-03-2000-p-1/|title=Another Side to Columbine|work=Doylestown Intelligencer|date=January 3, 2000|access-date=October 5, 2018|quote=Three weeks before Rachel Joy Scott, 17, was gunned down the first victim of the Columbine High School massacre she saw Austin Wiggins changing a flat tire in the rain in her town of Littleton, Colo. Scott stopped her car, got out and held an umbrella over Wiggins' head. Today, he waters her grave every day. It is the only patch of green in the area of the cemetery where she is buried. A week before she died, Scott had promised to take Adam, a student with a bone structure deficiency, to lunch and ask him all about his family. Every day, Scott would offer Adam a hug and a few kind words. The other students teased him and called him "alien" because of his facial disfigurement. Today. Adam cries almost nightly for the loss of his friend.|first=Naila|last=Francis|location=Doylestown, Pennsylvania|archive-date=October 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005112338/https://newspaperarchive.com/doylestown-intelligencer-jan-03-2000-p-1/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Rachel's Challenge'' has since become the most popular school assembly program in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2109&dat=20080117&id=DfwkAAAAIBAJ&pg=749,3513201&hl=en|title=Speaker challenges for positive impact|access-date=May 9, 2026|newspaper=The Wahkiakum County Eagle|date=January 17, 2008|archive-date=December 1, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251201163354/https://news.google.com/newspapers?pg=749%2C3513201&hl=en&nid=2109&dat=20080117&id=DfwkAAAAIBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

Each attendee is asked to pledge to accept the five principles discussed during the presentation before leaving the assembly: to eliminate any form of prejudice from their being, and seek only the best in others; to keep a journal and seek to achieve accomplishments; to choose to accept only positive influences in their lives;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2169&dat=20080215&id=NlslAAAAIBAJ&pg=2749,3629952&hl=en|title=Rachel Scott touched 'millions of people's lives'|access-date=September 14, 2016|newspaper=Hollis Brookline Journal|date=February 15, 2008|archive-date=May 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515101539/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2169&dat=20080215&id=NlslAAAAIBAJ&pg=2749,3629952&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> to commit to bringing a positive change in their home, school, and community through kind words, and undertaking tasks great and small; and to show care and compassion to those who are vulnerable, ridiculed, or in any form of need.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slidetosafety.com/rachels-challenge-one-story-changing-the-lives-of-millions/ |title=Rachel's Challenge: One Story Changing the Lives of Millions – Slide To Safety |date=October 30, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013170318/http://www.slidetosafety.com/rachels-challenge-one-story-changing-the-lives-of-millions/ |archive-date=October 13, 2016 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> A final impetus is to commit to Rachel's theory of the formation of a chain reaction through these five pledges by sharing these commitments with their family members, friends, and peers.<ref name="auto9"/>

At the close of the program, the audience is asked to close their eyes, and picture five or six people closest to them; they are then asked to tell them how much they mean to them.<ref name="auto10">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1051&dat=20071004&id=0VozAAAAIBAJ&pg=3314,1972650&hl=en|title=Rachel's challenge brings character compassion|access-date=September 2, 2016|newspaper=The Othello Outlook|date=October 4, 2007|archive-date=May 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521085500/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1051&dat=20071004&id=0VozAAAAIBAJ&pg=3314%2C1972650&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> The initial presentation is followed by a 45-minute, interactive training session involving both adult and student leaders. Participants are trained to perpetuate the chain reaction of kindness envisioned by Scott.<ref name="auto8">{{cite web |url=http://www.slidetosafety.com/rachels-challenge-one-story-changing-the-lives-of-millions/ |title=Rachel's Challenge: One Story Changing the Lives of Millions |publisher=slidetosafety.com |date=October 30, 2009 |access-date=September 22, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013170318/http://www.slidetosafety.com/rachels-challenge-one-story-changing-the-lives-of-millions/ |archive-date=October 13, 2016 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The participating school is provided with a curriculum and a training manual to ensure the continuity of the objectives of Rachel's Challenge, and the speaker typically holds a meeting later with parents and community leaders.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://milfordnow.com/rachels-challenge-delaware-valley-high-school/ |title=Rachel's Challenge Community Event: A Challenge of Kindness – MilfordNow |date=January 22, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923160242/http://milfordnow.com/rachels-challenge-delaware-valley-high-school/ |archive-date=September 23, 2016 }}</ref>

Internationally, many schools have incorporated Rachel's Challenge into their internal character building programs, with active efforts made to eradicate any sense of alienation among the student population, and various initiatives implemented to increase cohesion. One initiative to achieve this objective is to establish a "Friends of Rachel" club, to sustain the campaign's goals on an ongoing basis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/a/ccpsnet.net/the-scoop-may-issue/rachel-s-challenge/ |title=The Scoop: May Issue |publisher=Midlothian Scoop |date=May 1, 2012 |access-date=September 26, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012112134/https://sites.google.com/a/ccpsnet.net/the-scoop-may-issue/rachel-s-challenge/ |archive-date=October 12, 2016 }}</ref> In addition, many students actively seek to honor Scott's theory of just one person displaying compassion having the potential to spark a chain reaction of the same by spreading her message of kindness, empathy and compassion with their fellow students.<ref name="auto10"/> As a direct result of Rachel's Challenge, numerous child and teenage suicides have been prevented, and in seven known cases, planned school shootings have been prevented.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2257&dat=20080214&id=1KY8AAAAIBAJ&pg=1842,2464952&hl=en|title=Students take challenge|access-date=September 2, 2016|newspaper=Bedford Journal|date=February 14, 2008|archive-date=January 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124213738/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2257&dat=20080214&id=1KY8AAAAIBAJ&pg=1842,2464952&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/lopresti/2009-07-14-lopo-column_N.htm |title=Major League Baseball honors off-field all-stars |publisher=usatoday.com |date=July 14, 2009 |access-date=September 18, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026231153/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/lopresti/2009-07-14-lopo-column_N.htm |archive-date=October 26, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2128&dat=20071115&id=JrAkAAAAIBAJ&pg=3778,2166810&hl=en|title=Rachel's Challenge Program at Grafton High School November 20th|access-date=August 25, 2016|newspaper=Valley News and Views|date=November 15, 2007|archive-date=May 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521085500/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2128&dat=20071115&id=JrAkAAAAIBAJ&pg=3778%2C2166810&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:President George W. Bush talks with former Columbine High School student Craig Scott.jpg|thumb|Scott's brother Craig Scott meets President George W. Bush during a 2006 conference devoted to the topic of school safety.]]

In October 2006, Craig Scott was formally invited to address a National Council on issues relating to safety and security in schools. The meeting was held at the White House with President George W. Bush and included White House staff and educators from across the nation. The conference focused on cultural issues and the accomplishments and personal experiences garnered through Rachel's Challenge.<ref>{{cite web|title=President Bush Participates in Panel on School Safety|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061010-8.html|website=georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov|access-date=May 9, 2026|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801164646/https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061010-8.html|archive-date=August 1, 2015}}</ref>

In a direct recognition of the significant, ongoing, national benefits achieved in schools, colleges, and universities through Rachel's Challenge, the National Education Association of New York awarded Darrell Scott and Rachel's Challenge the "Friend of Education Award" in 2006.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2128&dat=20071115&id=JrAkAAAAIBAJ&pg=3778,2166810&hl=en|title=Rachel's Challenge Program at Grafton High School November 20th|access-date=August 30, 2016|newspaper=Valley News and Views|date=November 15, 2007|archive-date=May 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521085500/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2128&dat=20071115&id=JrAkAAAAIBAJ&pg=3778%2C2166810&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> Darrell Scott was selected as the 2009 winner of the "All-Stars Among Us" initiative in recognition of his selfless dedication toward preserving his daughter's memory in a positive manner through Rachel's Challenge in the U.S.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.fox14tv.com/story/10582348/mlb-and-people-announce-finalists-for-all-stars-among-us|title=MLB and 'People' Announce Finalists for "All Stars Among Us"|publisher=Fox 14|date=June 23, 2009|access-date=October 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005071903/http://www.fox14tv.com/story/10582348/mlb-and-people-announce-finalists-for-all-stars-among-us|archive-date=October 5, 2018|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://fansacrossamerica.messeomarketing.com/partners_sponsors/all_stars/|title=All Stars Among Us – MLB All Stars – Baseball All Stars|website=fansacrossamerica.messeomarketing.com|access-date=October 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005071914/http://fansacrossamerica.messeomarketing.com/partners_sponsors/all_stars/|archive-date=October 5, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Along with 29 other recipients, Scott was formally honored as part of the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game ceremonies, held in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 14 that year.<ref name=mlb /><ref>{{cite web|last=Newman|first=Mark|title=Obama kicks off historic night in St. Louis|date=July 14, 2009|work=mlb.com|url=http://wap.mlb.com/news/article/200907145874014|access-date=July 15, 2009|archive-date=August 29, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829095416/http://wap.mlb.com/news/article/200907145874014|url-status=dead}}</ref> At this ceremony, Darrell Scott stated: "Rachel loved to watch baseball. She had no clue that because of her memory ... I'd be here representing her."<ref name=mlb>{{cite web|last=Singer |first=Tim |title=Scott is Rockies' ''All-Star Among Us'' |work=mlb.com |date=June 29, 2009 |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090629&content_id=5602944&vkey=news_col&fext=.jsp&c_id=col&partnerId=rss_col |access-date=July 14, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828040529/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090629&content_id=5602944&vkey=news_col&fext=.jsp&c_id=col&partnerId=rss_col |archive-date=August 28, 2009 }}</ref> Both of Scott's parents have also spoken with entertainers, world leaders, and notable individuals including Miep Gies – one of the people who hid Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis, and preserved her diary after her capture.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.timesherald.com/article/JR/20101116/OPINION/311169968=en|title=Inspriational people – and some others|access-date=September 29, 2016|newspaper=The Times Herald|date=November 16, 2010}}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>{{refn|group=n|Both Rachel Scott and Anne Frank had written of their wishes to change the world for the better through the acts of love and kindness.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jean-fain-licsw-msw/rachel-scott-columbine_b_1143066.html |title=Columbine Victim Rachel Scott's Kindness Lives On |newspaper=Huffington Post |date=December 12, 2011 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811075122/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jean-fain-licsw-msw/rachel-scott-columbine_b_1143066.html |archive-date=August 11, 2016 }}</ref> Additionally, both girls died at a young age through the hatred of others.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.northjersey.com/news/students-take-up-rachel-s-challenge-to-combat-hatred-1.324976?page=all |title=Students Take up Rachel's Challenge to Combat Hatred |publisher=northjersey.com |date=October 27, 2010 |access-date=February 26, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226212802/http://archive.northjersey.com/news/students-take-up-rachel-s-challenge-to-combat-hatred-1.324976?page=all |archive-date=February 26, 2017 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> This has led to parallels being drawn by her father, uncle, and journalist Lisa Kintish between the journals Rachel wrote in her lifespan and Anne Frank's ''The Diary of a Young Girl.''<ref>{{cite news|url=http://newsok.com/article/3160252|title=The diary of Rachel Scott: Uncle keeps Columbine shooting victim's spirit alive|access-date=September 1, 2016|newspaper=The Oklahoman|date=October 31, 2007|archive-date=June 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623075227/http://newsok.com/article/3160252|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

Darrell Scott has stated that reliving his daughter's death giving his Rachel's Challenge speeches is painful, but that he and his family consider the opportunity to be a worthwhile experience as they can turn a tragedy into triumph.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Rachel's Tears: 10th Anniversary Edition: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine|page=179}}</ref> He notes: "I feel that God has really called me to do this. To pick up the torch my daughter dropped. This is what my daughter would have wanted to see. If I died right now, I can tell you my daughter's prayer has been answered."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1298&dat=19991220&id=TjIzAAAAIBAJ&pg=6971,5490441&hl=en|title=Scott: On the Road to tell Rachel's Faith Story|access-date=September 30, 2016|newspaper=The Free Lance-Star|date=December 20, 1999|archive-date=August 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829060220/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1298&dat=19991220&id=TjIzAAAAIBAJ&pg=6971,5490441&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> Rachel's mother, on the 10th anniversary of her daughter's passing, stated: "Only through eternal eyes will she ever know how powerful her life and death became."<ref name="auto6">{{cite web|url=http://www.lfcnews.com/feature.htm |title=Who was I before April 20, 1999? |publisher=lfcnews.com |date=April 18, 2009 |access-date=October 7, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009120512/http://www.lfcnews.com/feature.htm |archive-date=October 9, 2016 }}</ref>

==Media== ===Film=== *The 2016 film ''I'm Not Ashamed'' is directly based on the life and death of Scott. Directed by Brian Baugh and starring Masey McLain as Rachel Scott, the movie also uses some of the contents of Scott's journals for voice-overs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/oct/21/im-not-ashamed-columbine-christianity-rachel-scott |title=I'm Not Ashamed Review – Faith-based Drama Exploits Columbine Tragedy |last=Hoffman |first=Jordann |date=October 21, 2016 |website=theguardian.com |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |access-date=April 14, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502073413/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/oct/21/im-not-ashamed-columbine-christianity-rachel-scott |archive-date=May 2, 2017 }}</ref>

===Books=== * Nimmo, Beth; Klingsporn, Debra (2000). ''Rachel's Tears: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine Martyr Rachel Scott''. Thomas Nelson Inc. {{ISBN|978-0-7852-6848-2}} * Nimmo, Beth; Klingsporn, Debra (2001). ''The Journals of Rachel Joy Scott: A Journey of Faith at Columbine High''. Thomas Nelson Inc. {{ISBN|978-1-4041-7560-0}} * Scott, Darrell; Rabey, Steve (2001). ''Chain Reaction: A Call to Compassionate Revolution''. Thomas Nelson Inc. {{ISBN|0-7852-6680-1}} * Scott, Darrell; Rabey, Steve (2002). ''Rachel Smiles: The Spiritual Legacy of Columbine Martyr Rachel Scott''. Thomas Nelson Inc. {{ISBN|978-0-7852-9688-1}} * Scott, Darrell; Rabey, Steve (2009). ''Rachel's Tears: 10 Years after Columbine, Rachel Scott's Faith Lives on''. Thomas Nelson Inc. {{ISBN|978-1-4003-1347-1}}

==See also== {{portal|United States|Colorado|Biography}} * Cassie Bernall * Christianity in the United States * Crime in Colorado * Gun violence in the United States

==Notes== {{reflist|group=n}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Cited works== {{refbegin}} * {{cite book| last = Larkin| first = Ralph W.| title = Comprehending Columbine| publisher = Temple University Press| date = 2007| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=0t_mo8UQox8C| isbn = 978-1-5921-3490-8}} * {{cite journal| last = Pike| first = Sarah M.| title = Dark Teens and Born-Again Martyrs: Captivity Narratives after Columbine| journal = Journal of the American Academy of Religion| volume = 77| issue = 3| pages = 647–679| date = September 2009| doi = 10.1093/jaarel/lfp038| jstor = 20630144| pmid = 20681084}} * {{cite book| last = Senie| first = Harriet F.| chapter = The Conflation of Heroes and Victims: A New Memorial Paradigm| title = A Companion to Public Art| publisher = John Wiley & Sons, Inc.| edition = online| date = 2016| pages = 107–118| isbn = 9781118475331}} *{{cite book| last = Watson| first = J.| title = The Martyrs of Columbine: Faith and the Politics of Tragedy| publisher = Springer| date = 2003| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5sPtCwAAQBAJ| isbn = 9781403970008}} {{refend}}

==Further reading== {{refbegin}} * Brown, Brooks; Merritt, Robert (2002). ''No Easy Answers: The Truth Behind Death at Columbine High School''. Lantern Books. {{ISBN|1-590-56031-0}}. * Cullen, David (2009). ''Columbine''. Grand Central Publishing. 978-0-4465-4693-5 * Keuss, Jeff; Sloth, Lia (2006). ''Rachel's Challenge: A Columbine Legacy''. Positively for Kids. {{ISBN|978-0-9765-7225-1}}. * Marsico, Katie (2010). ''The Columbine High School Massacre: Murder in the Classroom''. Marshall Cavendish. {{ISBN|978-0-7614-4985-0}}. * Scott, Darrell; Nimmo, Beth (2000). ''The Journal of Rachel Scott: A Journey of Faith at Columbine High''. Thomas Nelson Inc. {{ISBN|0-849-97594-8}}. * Scott, Darrell; Nimmo, Beth; Rabey, Steve (2009). ''Rachel's Tears: 10th Anniversary Edition: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine''. Thomas Nelson Inc. {{ISBN|978-1-4003-1347-1}}. * Scott, Darrell; Rabey, Steve (2001). ''Chain Reaction: A Call to Compassionate Revolution''. Thomas Nelson Publishers. {{ISBN|0-785-26680-1}}. {{refend}}

==External links== {{sister project links|auto=yes}} * Contemporary news article [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1696&dat=19990425&id=NLMaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2EcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6781,3540368&hl=en detailing the funeral of Rachel Scott] * [http://acolumbinesite.com/index.html acolumbinesite.com]: dedicated to those murdered, injured, and affected in the Columbine High School massacre * [http://acolumbinesite.com/victim/rachel.html Rachel's entry] at acolumbinesite.com * Official [https://vimeo.com/33291369 presentation video] detailing the objectives and impact of Rachel's Challenge * [https://rachelschallenge.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/RCCodeofEthics.pdf "My Ethics; My Codes of Life"], as written by Rachel Scott one month before her death * {{Find a Grave|5742890}} * [http://imnotashamedfilm.com/ Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214124321/http://imnotashamedfilm.com/ |date=February 14, 2019 }} of ''I'm Not Ashamed'' * [http://rachelschallenge.org/ Official website] of Rachel's Challenge

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Rachel Joy}} Category:1981 births Category:1999 deaths Category:1999 murders in the United States Category:American people of Czech descent Category:20th-century American diarists Category:20th-century evangelicals Category:American evangelicals Category:American women diarists Category:Child murder in Colorado Category:Columbine High School alumni Category:Columbine High School massacre Category:Female murder victims Category:Murdered American students Category:People from Denver Category:People murdered in Colorado Category:Victims of mass shootings in the United States Category:Murdered American children