Celebrate good times…Come on… It’s a celebration, to have a good time…Came from the combined voices of the 1,909 students of Bonham ISD along with teachers, staff, parents and visitors Thursday, May 24, to kick off the 4th annual Rachel’s Rally.

Led on stage by the Morris Brothers, the excitement could be felt in the air as the entire PreK – 12th grade came together for the 4th year to celebrate the end of another Rachel’s Challenge year for BISD.

The Morris Brothers introduced the campuses as members of the Friends of Rachel (FOR) groups brought their school’s chains to the front of the stage.

Headstart -3,198, Finley-Oates-6,370, I. W. Evans-3,887, L. H. Rather-2,500, and BHS-3,428 for a total of 19,383 chain links which represent random acts of kindness for 2011-2012 school year in remembrance of Rachel Joy Scott. It was her dream to touch 1 million lives across the world and show that kind words and actions can change lives, one person at a time.

“There are only 4 or 5 schools in the entire nation that have held a rally for four years in a row that is the magnitude of ours, which involves PreK-Seniors,” Bonham ISD Superintendent Sonny Cruse said as he addressed the crowd.

All throughout the rally, the Morris Brothers kept the excitement, laughter and fun going with their jokes, poems, silly songs and dancing. Their “nerdy” appearance only added to the entertainment and they introduced themselves as “twins,” but one said he was 5 years older!

The Morris Brothers brought a message about kindness and stopping bullying while also being fun. They  are actually educators themselves that have created a unique way of reaching children of all ages as they travel across the United States. They have had their own TV program and their website is www.themorrisbrothers.net.

The entertainment was not all from the Morris Brothers; Finley-Oates entire student body stood and sang “Love Can Build A Bridge” led by their music teacher, Susan Toland. Later the  I.W. Evans student body sang “Count On Me” led by their music teacher, Kim Kennedy.

One of the projects for Rachel’s Challenge is partnering with Relay for Life. BISD Team leader Lori Flowers presented a check for Relay for Life for $11,788.08 which exceeded the district’s goal of raising $10,000 this school year. There was more added after the Relay for Life on June 8 at Warrior Stadium.

Another project that Rachels Challenge has sponsored for the past two years is working with the Pink Hearts fund (www.pinkheartfund.org) to donate 8 inch ponytails that will be used to make wigs for cancer patients.

This year 50 people donated their hair, with 38 of them being cut during the rally by cosmetology students, other teachers and principals. Twelve people had cut their hair prior to the rally and were recognized with certificates and a t-shirt.

Following the hair-cutting ceremony, Bret Simpson, BISD technology director, tearfully shared the  personal story of his mother Nancy Simpson,  a breast cancer patient, who was a recipient of one of the wigs  this past year.  He wanted everyone to know that through this organization, people in our own community may be given a gift that makes the cancer journey a bit more bearable. 

Although Mrs. Simpson lost her battle with breast cancer last fall, others in our community could also be helped by us donating our hair.

Jenna Toland was selected as the Friends of Rachel leader of the year for BHS and was recognized by Superintendent Sonny Cruse.  Jenna then led members of the BHS jazz band as they accompanied her singing “Mean.”

The jazz band members learned to play the banjo, violin and other instruments used in the song just for this performance.

Local talent continued to entertain as L.H. Rather students Jesse McRae and Ashley Ramirez then read poems they had written about Rachel Scott who has impacted their lives in some way while being a part of Friends of Rachel. BHS senior Nick Foster then sang “I Won’t Let Go” which received a huge audience response.

Mr. Cruse announced earlier in the program that BISD Rachel’s Challenge coordinator Mary Jane Neal had been contacted by Darrel Scott ( Rachel’s father) that she would be recognized as a Rachel’s Challenge Champion this summer at the National Rachel’s Summit held in Plano.  Mrs. Neal was primarily responsible for bringing the Rachel’s Challenge program to BISD four years ago and has led the schools and their campus Friends of Rachel clubs to remain active.

Nearing the end, The Morris Brothers led the crowd in a song about Bullying and their words of advice on the subject and had the entire gym on its feet singing and dancing.  Closing the rally was the BHS jazz band as they played “Lean on Me” while the crowd once again sang along.

“I believe this was the best all-around Rachel’s Challenge Rally we’ve ever been a part of. I also wanted to let you know how polite the students were…all grade levels.  They seemed very appreciative and gave us a lot of good feedback.  It’s not always like that. You should be proud of these kids,” said James Caldwell, one of the Morris Brothers in an e-mail to Mrs. Neal following the rally.