The phrase most often from students participating in Challenge Day is “life changing”.  Challenge Day is a four-year character development program designed to reduce teasing, bullying and violence, increase student self-esteem, and build more coherent, compassionate school communities.

 Over 1,300 freshmen in all three Putnam City high schools participate in the kickoff of the program at the beginning of the school year.  The day begins with ice-breakers, soul-searching exercises and other activities to help students freely share their feelings with their peers.  The students then break into small groups where they are encouraged to speak candidly about issues ranging from bullying and violence to intolerance and substance abuse.  By the end of the day, students have the opportunity to share their experiences and make amends for hurts they may have caused each other.  The focus of Challenge Day is literally to change hearts of participants because only then can they begin to change their behavior. 

 Students who participate in Challenge Day state a commitment to create change in their school community and sign on to be part of a “Be the Change” committee.  To keep the program fresh in their minds and continue to encourage students to look at others through the eyes of acceptance and respect, follow-up activities are planned throughout the school year.  Each of the high schools invites their participants to group sessions where they are asked to share their observances of positive change in their school community and are given suggestions of ways to sharpen their skills in noticing oppression and isolation and for practicing safe and effective intervention tools in the midst of conflict.      

 These are stories related to Challenge Day that speak to the power of the program.  One mother reported that her daughter came home after Challenge Day and asked to talk…just talk.  One mother called her three daughters together and asked them to share with her and with their sisters about what is going on in their hearts.  The sister of one student told the principal that her sister had recently moved out of the house after fighting with her parents.  The day she participated in Challenge Day, she moved back into the family home.  One young boy changed his appearance by cutting his hair, began wearing more traditional clothing, and standing up straighter and smiling.  When asked by a counselor what happened, the student said, “I made a friend at Challenge Day, and I realized that I am not alone.”  This student has greatly improved his performance and attitude in the classroom also. 

 Upon conclusion of their freshman year, students are invited to become leaders for the freshman kickoff of the Challenge Day program the next year.  The lessons learned in this program continue on and become a part of the students’ way of life.

To learn more and support Challenge Day, please contact Caroline Gist, CFRE at the Putnam City Foundation 405-495-5200 x1205 or cgist@putnamcityschools.org.

To watch the episode of MTV's hit show "If You Really Knew Me" that featured Putnam City West High School, please copy and paste the following to your internet:  http://www.mtv.com/videos/if-you-really-knew-me-ep-104-putnam-city-west-high-school/1645378/playlist.jhtml

To learn more about Challenge Day, visit their website at:  www.challengeday.org.  

Read about the impact of Challenge Day on Putnam City High School student Aubrey Peppers at: student letter Aubrey Peppers for website 2.docx

To hear a podcast of Challenge Day, please copy and paste the website below to your internet:

http://podcast.putnamcityschools.org/Site/Podcasts/Entries/2008/12/3_Challenge_Day.html

Challenge Day has been a life-changing experience for many of our Putnam City students. Jerry Rickerts, a counselor at Putnam City High School, asked some of his students to share what Challenge Day meant to them. Following are their stories:

Brady LeDonne wrote, "Challenge Day was an eye-opening experience! It taught me humility and showed me that I was not alone in my struggles. I would challenge people of all ages to participate in it because it will change the way you view others in your community. You will develop a bond with people you never expected and it will change your life for the better."

For Adriana Mendez, "Challenge Day changed the way I see things and made me want to change the way people treat each other because you never know what they go through every day."

According to DeAngelo Mannie, "Challenge Day for me changed my life and gave me a brighter outlook and future for myself. The challenges and exercises we did that day made me realize I wasn't the only one having problems at home and there were people to comfort me. Challenge Day not only made me express myself better but helped me excel in school."

Kesia Black says, "Challenge Day changed my perspective on how I see people. I already knew that some people may have it harder or easier than me, but when I actually heard some of their stories-it's something I won't forget! You just never know how much you can affect someone. I take that into consideration a lot more now."

What Sydney Keith learned through Challenge Day, "To be nice and respect others because you don't know what they may be going through."

Abigail Schmitz writes, "Challenge Day was a great experience for the freshman class to understand that we are all the same and going through hard times. Challenge Day opened peoples' eyes to new friendships and repaired old ones. This is a workshop that should be done every year to help remind people that we are all together in whatever we are going through."

DeShawn Conner explains, "What I got out of Challenge Day was that I wasn't the only person going through what I was going through. Thanks to Challenge Day, I know now that I am not alone."

Shai Ann Feehan believes that Challenge Day is good for any age. She says, "It gives people help, respect, and advice.

Help-It helps to get stuff off your chest and for people to listen as you talk about your problems so you can move forward.

Respect-When you hear people tell you what they are going through, you learn to respect them because life is harder for some people.

Advice-It helps to get advice from someone who you know has gone through hard times like you. Sometimes it's not even about talking-maybe listening is good enough!"

And finally, McQuallias Wright Jr. explains, "I've been going to Challenge Day for my four years in high school. What Challenge Day has shown and proven to me is that it's alright to show emotion and your true feelings. Don't judge people by the way they look because we haven't heard their true story. Challenge Day also taught me better ways to control my temper by showing me someone I can confide in and trust to talk to."

• To sponsor 3 high school freshmen DONATE $120
• To sponsor 50 high school freshmen DONATE $2,000