With another national event in our midst that saw destruction of life as the answer, back in 2009 the country was suffering from several events that also affected the country, with one especially horrific event that took place at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado 10 years earlier, but the effects of that were still being felt.
A Hanover best-selling author, Jody Picoult, wrote a fictional story about a similar high school violence event that took place at a small high school. Her book, "Nineteen Minutes" was an instant hit and was her first book to land on the New York Times Best Seller List.
I attended the visit by Ms. Picoult and wrote about the author coming to Woodsville High School. It was a huge event, for Ms. Picoult was booked up throughout the nation to speak about her book, especially with high school students, their parents and others who had many questions for the author and her deep research into the book and how it came to be so true-to-life.
Below are some of my notes on the session at the school, where Bob Jones was principal at that time and the program attracted a good deal of attention and filled the then Community Building to capacity, plus others standing outside in the chilly January weather.
Here is my column: As always, during the time of settling in and planning my day's work, the phone rang. The caller ID indicates it was coming from Woodsville High School. The caller tells me there is an important program being held shortly that will include an author who has written a book, and she will be presenting her program at a school assembly. The student caller asked if I could come right up and cover it. Of course, I tell her.
As I found out when I arrived at the school, this program I was responding to was to be a double celebration; the appearance and a book talk by author Jodi Picoult and a patriotic celebration of the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
Half an hour later and the rest of the school awaited the arrival of the acclaimed author, who had earlier published her hit book "Nineteen Minutes" ,the highly researched fictional story about a school shooting.
At that time, author Picoult was not the big hit writer that she is today, and "Nineteen Minutes" would turn out to be a big hit, as it was written around the story of a high school student who has been through years of verbal and physical abuse by classmates.
A final incident of bullying sends the student into the deep and leads him to commit violence that changes the lives of everyone in the high school located in the mythical town of Sterling, New Hampshire.
For educators or school groups interested in anti-bullying programs, Jodi Picoult was an inspiring speaker that day. Woodsville High School has for many years developed a solid school violence and bullying prevention program and Jodi Picoult came to the school that morning to speak about the national issue and to support the WHS leadership group, Friends of Rachel.
The program was sponsored by the group, named for Rachel Joy Scott, the first student killed at the Columbine High School shooting on April 20, 1999. After her death, many students Rachel had shared her stories with soon realized Rachel was an inspiration through her acts. Rachel's short life had a profound impact on other students.
At the time of all this, it has been many years since the deadly shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Rachelàstory and legacy have reached millions of people and are now a foundation for creating programs that promote a positive climate in K-12 schools throughout the nation.
Rachelàvision has started programs of kindness and compassion and is the basis for RachelàChallenge mission, which is aking schools safer, more connected places where bullying and violence are replaced with kindness and respect; and where learning and teaching are awakened to their fullest. Jodi Picoult's appearance at Woodsville High School, that cold January 2009 morning, was only a small part of the overall program that was created as an important community reading and action initiative. Retired WHS Guidance Counselor Shauna Kimball recalled this week that many people in town including the school staff and students were deeply affected by the tragedy of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting.
When Jodi Picoult wrote her novel based on that event, it was very much of interest to WHS Guidance Counselors Kimball and the late Sue Clark. They put together plans for a school and community-wide book reading and personal appearance that would see Picoultàbook put into the hands of area readers, plus a visit to the school by the very busy author.
So, before Picoult's visit, the two women set up reading sessions of "Nineteen Minutes" where community members and school staff, plus students and friends met weekly in the library after school to discuss sections of the book.
On a whim one day, Mrs. Kimball contacted author Picoult (a Hanover, NH resident) with an email and told her what the program was up to at her high school. Kimball said she was very surprised that Picoult was willing to come to Woodsville and speak with the students.
Picoult arrived with her husband Timothy Warren Van Lear and while he sat in the back of the gym with students and community members and listened, Jodi told the audience about her book and how she had conducted deep research to make the details believable and accurate.
The audience that morning had a thorough understanding of "Nineteen Minutes", as they had been prepared well for the program. The guidance team of Kimball and Clark asked Woodsville Bookstore owner David Major to be part of the program, and he agreed and, of course, the school library was involved with the project as well.
The school library loaned books and audiotapes throughout the community and to students. With the book reading program and library discussions for parents, staff, and students, a total of 450 "Nineteen Minutes"books were put into the hands of readers in the Haverhill community.
I spoke with Picoult after the program and she told me she had traveled to Littleton, Colorado to speak with community members. She said she spent considerable time with police department personnel gathering the facts of the Columbine High School shooting so she would be better prepared to write about those events.
Incidentally, Picoult is known for her research of facts for the books she has written. For her latest blockbuster novel "The Book of Two Ways," she traveled to Egypt to gather information and to prepare for that book.
Picoult also told me that morning that she enjoys speaking with students, staff, and community members about her books. She said she was very impressed with the program that resulted in the wide base of reading activities that resulted in not only her being invited to Woodsville, but for the community as a whole to learn the horrors of bullying and the tragic results that can happen when something is not done to end it.

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