Students will hold faith rallies Sept. 15 The Layman Online Friday, September 10, 1999 More than 3 million teens are expected to circle around flag poles at U.S. schools on Sept. 15 to pray and proclaim their faith in Christ. The tenth annual See You at the Pole/National Day of Student Prayer is scheduled for 7:00 a.m. The National Day of Student Prayer has gained a higher profile in the aftermath of the shooting deaths of 15 people at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, on April 20. At least two of the student victims, Rachel Scott and Cassie Bernall, were killed while bearing witness of their faith in God. Victim's father testified Rachel's father, Darrell Scott, testified before the Subcommittee on Crime-Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives on May 27. His words have been a rallying cry for students promoting the National Day of Student Prayer on their campuses. "I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy – it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies. The real villain lies within our own hearts. Political posturing and restrictive legislation are not the answers. The young people of our nation hold the key. There is a spiritual awakening taking place that will not be squelched! We do need a change of heart and a humble acknowledgment that this nation was founded on the principle of simple trust in God. My daughter's death will not be in vain. The young people of this country will not allow that to happen." The theme for See You at the Pole 1999 is "We Bow Down," taken from the Apostle Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21. Student-initiated movement See You at the Pole is a student-initiated and student-led movement that began in Texas in 1990 with a single church youth group. It grew to more than 3 million by 1998. Youth in all 50 states and at least 17 countries on five continents participated last year, including six countries of Europe. Reports were also sent in from Ghana, Turkey, Philippines, Malaysia, Guam, Ukraine, and Australia. The gathering of young people for prayer before school at their schools' flagpoles is entirely legal, according to the U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley. In a letter Secretary Riley sent to school officials in August 1995, See You at the Pole is listed among those activities that are appropriate forms of religious expression by students on campus. "Schools … must give students the same right to engage in religious activity and discussion as they have to engage in other comparable activity," the letter said. "This means that students may pray in a non-disruptive manner during the school day when they are not engaged in school activities and instruction, subject to the same rules of order as apply to other student speech." See You at the Pole web site

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