Toward the end of this morning’s Rachel’s Challenge assembly at Skyview Junior High, presenter Jonathan Oliver asked students to close their eyes, bow their heads and focus for a minute on their lives.

The throng of students from Skyview and Canyon Creek, Fernwood and Crystal Springs elementaries sat quiet in the darkened gym and took Oliver’s advice to heart.

They had just experienced the story of Rachel Joy Scott, who was the first person of 13 killed at the Columbine High tragedy on April 20, 1999. She was 17.

Through heart-wrenching and inspirational video interviews and words from Oliver, the students learned of Scott’s wish to start a chain reaction of kindness and compassion, which she wrote about in a school essay.

Oliver (right) asked people if they lost a family member or friend, and noted that being a Rachel’s Challenge presenter has “truly impacted my life to make me a better person.”

During the assembly, Oliver offered the students five challenges: look for the best in others, treat others the way you want to be treated, choose positive influences, speak words of kindness and not cruelty and forgive yourself and to forgive others.

Skyview Principal Dawn Mark said that part of Rachel’s Challenge is to change a school culture, to get at the heart of harassment, intimidation and bullying in a positive way, through doing acts of kindness.

“The challenge focuses on the difference in the world Rachel Joy Scott made and this chain reaction she created that has gone out into the world, and so we’re going to challenge our students to be a part of that chain reaction,” said Mark, who participated in the program at her former school, Ferndale High, and saw a positive change in the students there.

Rachel’s Challenge student ambassadors from Skyview came away from the assembly with eyes wide open to making a difference at their school.

“It was really touching and it showed Rachel’s impact, and I think it will help us make our school a better place,” eighth-grader Leah Dooley said.

“It was strong. I think everybody took at least a little bit of it in and now they feel better about themselves and hopefully they’ll treat other people better,” seventh-grader J.R. Plourd added.

Oliver, who’s been involved with Rachel’s Challenge for almost three years, ran two assemblies and ambassador training today, and will hold a parent/community assembly at 6 p.m. tonight in the Skyview gym (21404 35th Ave. S.E., Bothell).

He noted that Rachel’s Challenge reaches across to all students despite their financial backgrounds, demographics, race and more. In order to make an impact with students, Oliver feels he has to be authentic in his delivery.

“It has to be sincere and from the heart because it’s a real-life family, it’s a real-life story and it’s a real-life person,” said Oliver, adding that it’s a great responsibility to be on board with the challenge. “People want to carry that torch within their lives, within their communities and within their schools. That’s what I feel — that’s what drives me and that’s what makes me want to wake up and do it every morning.”