On October 1, 2023, Central Regional held its first ever “Challenge Day”. Challenge Days are run by a group based in California with the purpose of changing a school’s social environment for the better. And I, amongst many others, would agree that it was effective.
Challenge Day started off with a bang. The student participants were led to the freshman gym, where they were greeted with music, celebration, and the sight of their teachers forming a tunnel for them to walk through. As the students walked through, their teachers held out their hands for high-fives and cheered them on.
The first activity was a series of getting-to-know-you games. In the first game, the instructor would describe a situation, and if you related to it, you had to find a new chair across the room. Once you found your new seat, you had to greet the people on either side of you and give them a high-five. You were then given a question by the speaker and had to compare answers with the people around you, which helped you learn something about them that you may not have known before.
The next game forced everyone up to their feet. All participants had to walk around in different directions until they were told by the instructor to find someone that fit some kind of criteria. Someone “with a different hand size than you,” “with a different height than you,” or “that you have not met before.” With your new partner you found, you had to answer questions that were slightly deeper than the ones before, like “Who was your greatest inspiration?” and “Who do you look up to most and why?” After comparing answers, you could give the other person a fist bump, high five, or even a hug.
A short talk by the instructors followed, and afterwards everyone was given a ten-minute break. The excitement in the air was palpable, and it was clear that everyone was having a good time despite being pushed out of their comfort zones. Once the break was over, everyone was sorted into small groups.
Each adult participating in the Challenge Day was given a number, and students were counted off and randomly assigned numbers to be sorted into groups. The groups were switched around to ensure a diverse, positive, and non judgmental environment. There were around the same number of boys and girls in each group, and best friends were separated from one another in order to ensure that no one in the group would feel limited while expressing themselves. The small group portion started out surface-level and casual, with each person introducing themselves, but later became much deeper. Group members went one at a time finishing the sentence “If you really knew me, you would know…”. The member speaking had one minute to talk while the other members listened silently. The speaker had the option to go as deep or as surface-level as they wanted to and were comfortable with. After each person went, the other group members were encouraged to offer them a hug, high five, or fist bump. The instructors brought tissues for those who started crying.
The next activity was just as emotional. Everyone was told to stand behind a line on the gym floor. The instructors would describe something, and everyone that could relate would cross the line. Topics like mental health, rejection, familial deaths, and poverty were all discussed. As many crossed the line, they were surprised by the amount of people that crossed with them. Looking around, they saw classmates in a new light and realized they had commonalities with people completely different from them. They were not alone.
This was a loaded part of the day, and as I looked around I saw lots of people crying. Many of these people had expressed things they hadn’t ever rationalized, and for them to be able to get it off their chest was an emotional experience for them. Despite what I expected, I didn’t see any whispering, teasing, or laughing throughout the entire day. Everyone was equal, and no one was going to make fun of anyone else.
Challenge Day helped students experience an environment with their classmates that they had never felt before. People were vulnerable, and for once that vulnerability wasn’t being used against them. Instead, it was being embraced and related to. It allowed everyone to see that they weren’t really alone in their struggles, and that others, even those who may not seem like it, could relate to them on a deeper level. It was definitely a challenging day, but I feel closer to my classmates than I did before.
