LOWER LAKE ? The student Challenge Team at Lower Lake High School (LLHS) has taken inspiration from the Oprah Winfrey Show to address social issues facing teens today. The team aims to “Be the Change” that betters life on the school campus as well as in the community.
Monday”s episode focused on teenage eating disorders and the emotions that accompany obesity. Watching the episode has inspired Challenge Team members to reach-out to fellow students who may be suffering the emotional deterioration associated with obesity as well as stop the bullying that is often inflicted upon those who are overweight.
The episode the students gathered after school hours to watch, featured Rich and Yvonne Dutra-St. John, who are the creators of Challenge Day. LLHS has held a challenge day for the past couple years.
The day brings together students and vast variety of volunteers from the community, who provide support for one another in discussing any topic of their choice. The student Challenge Team aims to continue the principles of Challenge Day, which includes promoting change through conversation and emotional release, throughout the year.
The students were emotionally affected by the stories they saw on the Oprah show. The episode focused on 16 teens, most who have endured a life-long struggle with their weight. The teens shared feelings of hopelessness, inadequacy, disappointment, exclusion, frustration, suicide and more. The show illustrated the loneliness suffered by many teens across the nation.
The Challenge Team aims to “Be the Change” that ends the loneliness that may be affecting some of their schoolmates. Challenge Team President Melanie Pressly challenged her teammates to take an active role in providing comfort to those who may be in need.
“I feel really strong about this and we can do it,” Pressly said. “I challenge all of you to find a new friend and make sure they know that they are not alone.”
Pressly said change in the community begins with change on the campus. Since the inception of Challenge Day, Pressly and her teammates said that they have noticed a decline in incidents of bullying on the campus. However, the Challenge Team wants to put an end to all bullying, which they said will instill a sense of non-violence within the community.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
