RED SPRINGS — Some members of the audience at Red Springs Middle School were moved to tears Friday as they heard about Rachel Scott, the first person killed during the Columbine High School shooting rampage.

About 600 students and staff watched Rachel’s Challenge. The program is meant to prevent violence and bullying at schools. Patricia Price, the school counselor at Red Springs Middle School, said she hopes students got the message.

“I hope they learn to treat each other with kindness,” she said. “That was the premise of Rachel’s life. It was based on being kind to people and hoping to start a chain reaction.”

Scott was one of 13 people — 12 students and a teacher — who were murdered on April 20, 1999, as seniors Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked through Columbine High School in Columbine, Colo., firing their weapons. Twenty-four people were injured.

Harris and Klebold killed themselves. Subsequent investigations found the two boys had been bullied.

The program’s message was “You might just start a chain reaction,” a quote pulled from many of Rachel’s journal entries. She wrote about her mission to be kind to others, especially those who are treated poorly by others, in an essay and her diary.

“She said, ‘I have this idea that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, they may just start a chain reaction of the same,’” said Jimmy Braden, reading from the essay. “’People don’t know how far a little kindness can go.’”

The presentation was part of the middle school’s first few days of classes.

“We are gearing up for success,” Price said. “It is another part of getting off on the right foot this year.”

Braden gave listeners five challenges: look for the best in others; dare to dream and write down goals; choose positive influences; perform small acts of kindness; and tell people how much you care about them.

Braden said Rachel remains a role model.

“Rachel wasn’t famous,” he said. “She never traveled out of the United States. She never did anything really big, but she did things that everyone in here can do. She concentrated on the little things, which made a huge difference.”

Price said she thinks the presentation is relevant to all schools.

“I think bullying is a problem everywhere to an extent,” she said. “Now the cyber bullying is becoming a big problem.”

The program was paid for by Sally Edwards, a Red Springs resident.

“She saw this program in South Carolina and was very touched and impacted by it,” Price said. “I said ‘It sounds like a wonderful program, but we can’t afford it.’

She said ‘Now you can.’”

The presentation was done twice at the middle school, to two different audiences.

“It was probably the most phenomenal presentation I’ve ever seen,” Price said. “It was extremely emotional. Our students watched intently. I couldn’t believe it.”

A sixth-grade student who watched the program said she has been bullied before and thinks it will help with kids picking on each other.

“I think it was really nice and we should really start a chain reaction,” she said.