Mars High School students wave their cell phone flashlights as they sing a song in the gym as the Friends of Rachel Club had a Before the Break Festival Friday.

ADAMS TWP — Over the course of four years, students at Mars High School will pass by each other in the halls countless times.

Their interactions will vary, from high fives or hugs to subtle nods. Most commonly, however, there's likely no interaction as classmates pass each other as if they were strangers on the street.

The Friends of Rachel Club, founded this year at schools throughout the district, aims to change that interaction by promoting kindness, empathy and understanding in the Mars community.

“High school is only four years, and I think it's important for us to know a lot of people who come here don't necessarily want to be here all the time,” said Olivia Lockette, a junior. “It's important to make this environment someplace you do want to be.”

The club was formed in the wake of the introduction of the Rachel's Challenge program at the beginning of the year. The program is based on the life and writings of Rachel Joy Scott, the first victim of the Columbine High School tragedy, and works to equip and inspire individuals to replace acts of violence, bullying and negativity with acts of respect, kindness and compassion.

Read what the Friends of Rachel Club did to close out 2018 in Sunday's Butler Eagle.