This year, freshman students from all three Putnam City High Schools had the opportunity to participate in Challenge Day, a program sponsored by the Putnam City Public Schools Foundation.  Challenge Day has three important goals for our students:  1) to shift dangerous peer pressure to positive peer support; 2) to eliminate the acceptability of teasing, bullying, and violence, and 3) to increase students' personal power and self-esteem.  

Challenge Day is a powerful, high-energy character development program.  It is nothing less than life changing.  School counselors have reported significant improvement in how well students treated each other after participating in Challenge Day.  They gained confidence, reached out to and connected with peers and broke from cliques to form a more inclusive, compassionate school community.  The number of students failing classes and the number of disciplinary incidents decreased.

Some of the comments made by students and adults who attended the first follow-up session were:

"It really changed the way I look at people."

"It taught me not to judge people.  You never know what they are going through."

"Every other day at lunch, I try to leave my group of friends and go sit with someone who is eating alone."

"I have been the biggest jerk and I didn't know why!  It actually felt good to understand myself and to have a chance to say I'm sorry."

"I don't feel alone anymore."

Through Challenge Day, the Putnam City Public Schools Foundation supports the district in its efforts to provide a safe environment where young people can work together and learn to be good citizens.  For more information about Challenge Day, please log on to their website at www.challengeday.org or the Putnam City Foundation's website at www.pcf4kids.org.  If you have any questions, you may contact the Foundation office at 405-495-5200x1205 or email dfloresca@putnamcityschools.org.