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."