Described by MTV as a real life 'Breakfast Club', the series follows five high school students from different cliques (jocks, geeks, brains, etc) through "Challenge Day", a one-day program designed to break down barriers. MTV has ordered 12 episodes, one of which will feature students from DSA.
More after the jump.
According to Tony Di Santo, president of MTV programming, the new series "breaks down the wall of cliques in high schools and brings kids together".
Challenge Denver Executive Director, Betsy Leighton states, "Executive producer Arnold Shapiro, a long time Challenge Day supporter, is giving the youth America the opportunity to see Challenge Day and it's positive effects with this new program. We are thrilled that Denver is being highlighted".
Denver School of the Arts assistant principal Pete Castillo declared, "we are hoping to bring a unified holistic approach to DSA and Challenge Day does just that by breaking down the barriers between students".
Challenge Day is made possible by Challenge Denver, a local not for profit organization which provides 11 Denver Public Schools with Challenge Day and weekly follow-up. Challenge Denver assumes that many of the issues facing teens, such as stereotyping, racism, sexism, and the use of drugs and alcohol, are caused and exacerbated by isolation. The work of Challenge Denver is aimed at counteracting these causes and fostering respect, tolerance, and self-acceptance, with the ultimate goal of improving participants lives and creating safer schools, thereby increasing school attendance, retention, and graduation.
Denver School of the Arts is the only Colorado school being filmed and was chosen because of its unique student body and long standing partnership with Challenge Denver. Local rapper, social activist, Challenge Denver supporter and former DSA teacher, James Lurie from The Flobots, is volunteering as an adult facilitator for the day.
