“Bright Eyes, Bright Minds, Bright Futures”

1. By Kelly Guevara “Bright Eyes, Bright Minds, Bright Futures” January 2011 Rachel’s Challenge How Full Is Your Bucket? “People never know how far a little kindness can go. You just may start a chain reaction.” Rachel Joy Scott The Theory of the Dipper and the Bucket Each of us has an invisible bucket. It is constantly emptied or filled, depending on what others say or do to us. When our bucket is full, we feel great. When it’s empty, we feel awful. Each of us also has an invisible dipper. When we use that dipper to fill other people’s buckets (by saying or doing things to increase their positive emotions) we also fill our own bucket. But when we use that dipper to dip from others’ buckets (by saying or doing things that decrease positive emotions) we diminish ourselves. Like the cup that runneth over, a full bucket gives us a positive outlook and renewed energy . Every drop in that bucket makes us stronger and more optimistic. But an empty bucket poisons our outlook, zaps our energy, and undermines our will. That’s why every time someone dips from our bucket, it hurts us. So we face a choice every moment of every day: We can fill one another’s buckets, or we can dip from them. It’s an important choice – one that profoundly influences our relationships, productivity, health, and happiness. WHICH WILL YOU CHOOSE? Rachel’s Challenge is a special program that was started by the family of Rachel Joy Scott, the first student killed at Columbine High School. It is a program being used to convey her story and to promote non-bullying behaviors by students. In the elementary program we don’t focus on the events of Columbine High School or Rachel’s death; in fact we don’t even mention them. Instead the program is based on Rachel’s life and her belief that small deliberate acts of kindness could have a profound and lasting effect on those around us. This year’s theme is The Power of One. It is important for students to understand that they have the power to make a huge difference on other people’s lives. To learn more, feel free to watch the student video on the Bright homepage. Once you get to the homepage, you will click on photos/videos.