Two years ago, York was given the opportunity to be a part of Challenge Day. One hundred students were nominated by teachers to participate in this 6 ½ hour day program. This year, York is proud to announce that Challenge Day will be returning for three days in February.

Challenge Day was started in 1987 and for the past 28 years has grown tremendously. The Challenge Day program originated in California. It has traveled to 48 states and has served over one million people.

When students first walk into Challenge Day the energy level is high! All the leaders and teachers are dancing and giving high fives. In the Challenge Day informational video they talk about wanting the students to let go and break out of their comfort zone. As the day goes on participants are put into small groups. Students don’t get to go and sit with their friends but instead, they get put into a group of people they barely know. The reason they do this is because they want students to meet new people and open up with one another.

This program has 6 goals:

1. To respect other students around you because judging, jokes and rumors can and will have a negative impact on a person.
2. Notice, Choose, and Act.
3. Celebrate the diversity of people around you.
4. Speak openly and share things about yourself to people that you wouldn’t have before.
5. Have self-expression.
6. Live your life, but also serve the people around you.

One Challenge Day activity that they have had students participate in to accomplish these goals is “if you really knew me.” All the students go around and start off by saying,  “if you really knew me…” They start off with this because students may think they know each other and everything about one another but the truth they don’t.

Then there’s the Power Shuffle. A leader would say a statement and if that statement applied to their life participates would cross over the line. The questions were very deep but were also issues people face on an everyday basis. In high school, there is judgment all around whether it’s by the color of their skin, their height, the way they talk or even by the clothes they wear. On Challenge Day, there is no judging, but instead, the students are encouraged to accept people for who they really are.

When Challenge Day came to York two years ago it seemed to have an impact on many of the kids who participated in it. For days, it was all students were talking about.

“It was very life changing. Realizing that people around you are going through the same things you are and being able to talk about such problems is very eye opening,” Christian Locke, senior stated.

The feedback was so positive that it became York’s plan to have it every year. Unfortunately, because of budget cuts Challenge Day hasn’t taken place at York for the past two years.

“It was something we wanted to do each year, but we didn’t have the funding for and this year we made sure we had that,” Assistant Principal Mr. McGuire, explains.

After York discovered they couldn’t pay the costs to have Challenge Day each year they created Challenge Day club instead. The club’s job is to spread positivity and wellness to the school. One day, they gave York a challenge. When you walked into school you were handed a slip of paper that had a challenge on it to complete. This activity was very clever and started some great conversations around school.

“Challenge Day has impacted me greatly,”  Lauren Murphy, senior expressed. I have been a part of Challenge Day Club for the past 4 years and I got to be the leader of the club my junior and senior year. I love inspiring others to be kind and to spread that kindness and I love. Seeing people helping others is just amazing.”

The club has done wonders, and they even recently held a fundraiser at Meatheads to help pay for the Challenge Day program. After having the fundraiser they only raised $80 because the amount they raised is low, they plan on having more fundraisers after winter break!

Recently at York respect has been a topic. A few months ago we had Respect Talks. Where a selected amount of teachers went into English classes and discussed diversity, tolerance, and  respect. Although, the Administration had good intentions some students didn’t feel the talks did that much to help the school.

“I think challenge day can help solve more problems than any counselor or program that can be offered at school,” Jack Wiesenmayer, senior said.

Bringing back the Challenge Day program for three days is just what York needs. Not only to show students they aren’t alone but to also help York become more of a united school. Fortunately, Challenge Day will be returning February 9, 10, and 11. Each day a new one hundred students will be picked to participate. Students who participated in 2013 will still be eligible to take part this year.