This short video filmed and edited by Charlotte Miles highlights a collaboration project between “Up to the Challenge” and Spartan Race (packaged as Spartan Edge) at the Montessori Children’s House of Denver (MCHD).

With assessments, projects, and presentations, school is a series of challenges. Unfortunately, not all students understand why they’re taking on these challenges or how to best get through them when things become difficult. Without this base knowledge, students become victims to challenges and are afraid to fail. The purpose of this program is to help students take charge of difficult tasks to be more confident and in control.

The program embedded “Up to the Challenge” tools for eight weeks in classes to help students understand how they could best take on challenges. At the end of the eight weeks, teachers and staff at MCHD hosted a Spartan obstacle course race meant to challenge students with getting outside their comfort zones to assess how they did with the concepts they had discussed. With a discuss, assess, and reflect process, students would learn how to take charge of challenges in their lives to be more successful and happy.