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Steamboat Springs — When middle school students exited the auditorium at Hayden High School on Wednesday morning, they immediately lined up to pledge their devotion to the ideals of a girl they will never meet. The students were inspired by an essay written by Rachel Scott, the first person to be killed during the Columbine school shooting in 1999.

Hayden Middle School students were taught about Rachel's inclusive view of life by Kellen Hills, a speaker from Rachel's Challenge, an international inspirational speaking group founded by Rachel's father after her death. The message is based on an essay she wrote weeks before the shooting and journals her family found after she died.

The ideas were simple: show compassion, dare to dream and choose influences wisely. But the "chain reaction" it is meant to inspire is much bigger.

The idea for the program came from Hayden Valley Elementary School Principal Rhonda Sweetser after she heard a presentation from another Rachel's Challenge speaker at a conference.

"It touched me so much that I wanted to bring it back so the students in Hayden could experience it," she said.

Hills, who was at a rival high school 20 miles away from Columbine at the time of the shooting, told students about the impact of Rachel's words during her life and after her death.

While at school, Rachel would make an effort to reach out to students who were marginalized, picked-on or handicapped, Hills said during the presentation. After her death, those students told Rachel's parents that her interactions affected their lives in profound ways.

"You just might start a chain reaction," Hills urged students.

Hills held presentations for middle school students, high school students and student leaders during the day Wednesday, in addition to an evening workshop for community members and parents.

High school counselor Michelle Henderson said the community presentation was an important part of the process because it could help encourage parents and other community members to support good behavior.

"When (community members) see kids in the community, they can praise them for the good things they do instead of just punishing them for bad things," she said.

Hills also encouraged students to start a "Rachel's Club" at the high school to promote understanding and mutual respect.

At the end of the presentation, dozens of students signed their names on a Rachel's Challenge banner, showing that they accept the challenge of expressing their appreciation to important people in their lives.