• Challenge Week

     

    Challenge Week is a summer program available to all South Lewis students entering eighth grade that fall.  A fifth grade version of Challenge Week, called KIDSKAMP started during the summer of 1999. Challenge Week has been available each summer since 2000.  The motto for Challenge Week is:  Dream Big.  Listen Well.  Work Hard.  Several days we take field trips and the other days we stay on campus at South Lewis. 

     

    Several field trips are taken during Challenge Week.  Last summer, we spent a day visiting two colleges in the Syracuse area.  In the morning we visited LeMoyne College and in the afternoon we visited Syracuse University.  Many of the students had already visited the Utica area colleges when they attended KIDSKAMP in fourth grade.  Those colleges were Utica College, Hamilton College and SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica.  We tour the campuses and get to talk to students and college staff.  It's a long day but well worth it.

     

    Another day trip taken during KIDSKAMP is to Beaver Camp where the students spend the day working with The ROPES Course. The website for Beaver Camp is: http://www.beavercamp.org/.  This is a great time.  There are many lessons that can be learned on the ROPES Course:  the importance of teamwork, listening, and perseverance among others.  Our primary reason to take students through the ROPES Course during Challenge Week is to teach them that life is full of many challenges and adversities.  When confronting a challenge, whether it is a tough test coming up or a personal difficulty outside of school, the choice is always very clear:  either give up and turn away from the challenge or face the challenge and overcome it.   We strongly recommend facing the challenge and overcoming it.  

     

    On the other days we have tremendous guest speakers come to talk to the students about the importance of having and accomplishing goals and dreams. We have visitors who travel many miles to speak with the students.  We also have South Lewis graduates who are achieving great things come to share their experiences.  The students also learn a great deal about how to overcome obstacles and challenges in and out of school.  In addition to speakers, the students see several motivational movies. Challenge Week kickball is also an important part of the week. 

     

    Before Challenge Week is over, each of the students is asked to set three goals for the upcoming school year.  Two of these goals must be related to performance in school during the coming school year.  The students are assisted to work on these goals during the school year.