On a recent road trip, I listened to an American Radioworks podcast called Beyond the Blackboard: Building Character in Public Schools. The podcast starts off with a scene of a group of students from a school in New York on an outdoor trip in upstate New York. The students spend a day at a ropes course. The story follows the students throughout this week-long trip, and we hear that the students are pushed to try new things, rely on their friends, and work as a group. Through this, they gain character skills that they don’t get from their typical classroom back in New York.

At Challenge Discovery, we believe that students can learn the best when they are challenged, put out of their comfort zone, and are required to use skills that they don’t often use while sitting in front of the blackboard.  When schools come to Challenge Discovery in Richmond, VA, we aren’t teaching them how to solve a math problem or even tie a knot, but rather how to be critical thinkers and creative problem solvers. We’re challenging them to communicate in new ways and encouraging them to speak up when they have an opinion. We’re giving them opportunities to work in new and unique situations so that they learn skills to take into their classrooms, relationships with teachers and family, and into their extra-curricular activities. We believe that there is great value in what we’re doing at Challenge Discovery and that every student needs these kinds of experiences in their education to build their character.

Are you interested in learning about the intentional and purposeful programming that we do at Challenge Discovery? We design programs that will meet your specific needs and give your students new skills to take beyond the ropes course. Give us a call at 804-876-9733 anytime to learn more!