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At North Branch Area Middle School 31 eighth grade students in the Friends of Rachel group organized, planned and performed presentations for an all-school assembly. Students entered the gym through a welcome tunnel, shared stories of being bullied and described how they got help, and eighth grade students formed a human chain of kindness - demonstrating how one act of kindness can have a chain reaction to lots of other people. North Branch hosted "Rachel's Challenge" at the start of this school year. It is a national program that aims at uniting school and community. Its namesake Rachel was shot in the Columbine High School tragedy and her father developed the special program.

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