Freshmen participated in the annual Challenge Day event from Jan. 12-14. The six-hour-long program takes place during the school day and welcomes freshmen to open up about themselves. Bears stepped out of their comfort zones through various activities, while connecting and understanding their peers. Challenge Day is organized by the Parent Teacher Association and “helps young people learn to connect through powerful, life-changing programs in their schools and communities,” according to Challenge Day’s website.
The event began with icebreaker activities as students went around getting to know their classmates. There were bonding activities, including asking students to cross a line if any questions felt applicable to them, and others like “If you really knew me” conversations that allowed students to talk more about their life experiences and struggles. “I learned that many people in our year share the same struggles, even when we don’t realize it,” freshman Jack Bekaert said.
“I was scared at first, but when the adults did the welcome tunnel for the students, I realized it’s not gonna be that bad,” freshman Airi Oka said.
Even though Challenge Day does provide students time to share their experiences and connect with others, it can be debated about if it should be a mandatory workshop.
“I was not too comfortable at Challenge Day, it’s a little bit pressuring to have to talk about topics I don’t even discuss with my friends, let alone strangers,” freshman Dylan Fong said. “The majority of the day is spent in an inward facing circle which does feel a little bit confrontational and uncomfortable, especially as I had no prior knowledge of a lot of these people.”
“I learned a lot about my classmates, but I have mixed feelings about if everybody should go, as it does address serious topics. I felt that at times I was pressured to reveal information about myself which retrospectively I was not all that comfortable telling,” Fong added.
After a break, students regathered in small groups where they had the opportunity to answer various questions about their life and experiences that were asked by an adult in each small group. “My overall experience was pretty good. There were definitely harder parts to it, but overall it was okay,” freshman Sage Gorlick said.
Challenge Day was an opportunity for freshmen to open up, get to know one another, and reflect on their experiences together. It also allowed students to learn things about their peers. “I learned to always respect others and never make assumptions about other people,” Oka said.
After completing Challenge Day, each freshman had different experiences and thoughts about the workshop, whether it was eye-opening or not. However, students got to understand their peers better, and realize their struggles that they may have not known before.
“I genuinely felt exhausted from crying, but in a good way, it made me feel less alone and actually opened my eyes up to how we all share the same experiences in one way or another,” freshman Nikolett Pataki said.
