Students, Faculty Open Up
At ‘Memorable’ Challenge Day

Due to the number of juniors involved, the participants were divided into two groups, each of which spent an entire day in the auxiliary gym with Jennifer and Ken, the two Challenge Day leaders from the California-based organization.  The overall purpose of the experience was to challenge everyone’s stereotypes and conceptions about each other, learn about their common bonds, and hopefully have fun in the process.

Each day started off with the participants seated in a large circle with the intention of bringing the students to really look at each other as equals.  Regardless of age, students and faculty were asked to address each other by their first names.  The rest of the day alternated in strong contrast between high-energy games and participation in very quiet and emotional activities.  At one moment, students were engaged in a yelling contest and a game with a giant beachball, while the next, they were partnered with someone they hardly knew and challenged to share personal revelations.

Hugs were seen everywhere during Challenge Day. Here participants show each other that they have everyone’s backs in a group hug designed to foster unity. (Photo by Jennifer)

There were several common themes throughout the program.  The most notable (and probably the most talked about) was the idea of “dropping one’s waterline.”  The program leaders explained that everyone is like an iceberg, showing only a small percent of one’s true self.  Challenge Day participants were asked to “get real” and “drop your waterline,” in other words, to really talk about things and not hide them behind our image.  The message of Challenge Day was to “notice, choose, and act,” a theme that everyone seemed to embrace.  Whether sharing in small groups, comparing life stories over lunch, or just hugging (which was incredibly prevalent – and encouraged—throughout the day), the participants found themselves in a very unique atmosphere.  The culmination of the day allowed individuals to apologize or address the entire group or certain people in an effort for everyone to begin to “be the change.”

Throughout Challenge Day students and students and teachers and students paired off to talk over heavy issues. In the left background, physical education teacher Tony Green pairs off with a student. Said Green, “Challenge Day was the most meaningful educational experience I’ve had since becoming a teacher.”  (Photo by Jennifer)