Mikva Challenge is centered around developing young, student minds. With hard work and dedication, students have opportunities to impact a shared Back of the Yards High School and community.

The club is open to students who have a desire to develop themselves as leaders and who would like to get involved in their community. Mr. Nagle and Ms. Hargesheimer are the teacher moderators. Mikva Challenge meets every Monday after school in Rm. 317 from 3:45 until 4:45.

This club is the perfect way for students to be active citizens by using their voices to speak about issues they see in their neighborhood. Through their teamwork, members learn essential skills that will help them transition into adulthood by building relationships with politicians and law officials. The students are flourishing into well-rounded individuals and they have the power to create something bigger than themselves.

Mikva Challenge is currently working on creating a student support page through the school website that would serve to help students struggling with issues at home and school. Soon this club will launch the web page and students will be able anonymously send messages seeking advice about personal issues. Whether students feel stressed or angry, they can turn to this web page without the fear of being judged by their peers. Mikva Challenge has also created a social and emotional survey that will be answered by students during their physical education classes.

The other focus of Mikva Challenge is juvenile justice. They address this by creating a forum for students, community members, and local police. The goal is to build a safer community with the help of a district court judge by discussing citizen rights. This forum is set to be held on May 27th in the BOYCP auditorium.

Maritza Cervantes, a sophomore student at BOYCP, said, “What I love about this club is that we are always trying to solve, or in some way help, our community or our school.” This club is full of students who are willing to challenge issues in society and this builds their characters. All of the members believe that with a united community, every individual can achieve greatness.

– Marco Vasquez