Putnam City West to be Focus of MTV’s “If You Really Knew Me”

A documentary featuring Putnam City West High School is scheduled to air on MTV at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 10. The documentary, titled “If You Really Knew Me,” follows a group of Putnam City West students as they go through a program known as “Challenge Day.”

Challenge Day is a program first brought to Putnam City in 2007. The program is funded each year by the Putnam City Public Schools Foundation, in conjunction with community partners, for 9th-grade students in all district high schools.

Each Challenge Day is a day-long exercise in team building and soul searching that focuses on building positive student relationships and creating productive learning environments. During Challenge Day students have the opportunity to discover in revealing detail what life is like for fellow students. In Putnam City schools, Challenge Day is followed by reinforcing activities throughout the school year.

“Challenge Day breaks down walls and barriers that have been built up over the years due to difficult and sometimes painful experiences in our lives. It is a deeply moving and profound experience in which adults and students empathize with one another and come to understand that we all have far more in common than we often realize,” says Caroline Gist, the executive director of the Putnam City Foundation.

The documentary is part of MTV's "If You Really Knew Me" documentary series. Each episode visits a different school in the country. The real-life series shows students in a Challenge Day at their own school, a setting in which they peel back their public personas and share illuminating yet sometimes difficult truths about their lives. Ultimately, the experience allows many students to break out of cliques and form a more unified, compassionate high school community.

“If You Really Knew Me” is Executive Produced by Arnold Shapiro and Paul J. Coyne of Arnold Shapiro Productions, and Angie Day for MTV.

"'If You Really Knew Me' illuminates the power and strength that young people have when they share and connect in a vulnerable and authentic way," says Jaime Polson, chief executive officer of Challenge Day. "We truly believe that this series has the power to transform people's lives, and by working with MTV and Arnold Shapiro Productions, we're able to bring Challenge Day to even more people across the country."

Those interested in the series can watch replays of shows after they have aired, find updates on students featured in the series, sound off in an interactive discussion forum, and locate information and resources on issues touched on in the show. Those features can be found at www.IfYouReallyKnewMe.MTV.com

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Additional Links

To hear Putnam City High School students share their thoughts following a Challenge Day in 2008, visit http://podcast.putnamcityschools.org/Site/Podcasts/Entries/2008/12/3_Challenge_Day.html

To learn more about Challenge Day, visit www.challengeday.org

If you are interested in volunteering for Challenge Day, please contact the Putnam City Schools Foundation at (405) 495-5200 x1205 or email dfloresca@putnamcityschools.org.  Challenge Day will be held at PC High School September 13-16, PC West September 20-23 and PC North November 29-December 2.  

For more information on this and other programs we support, please visit our website at www.pcf4kids.org.