MYCP - Monroe Youth Challenge Program

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Challenge Day Leaders Award Acevedo ‘Hero of the Month’, Invite Superintendent and Son to Next Step

KEY WEST (539 words) – Superintendent Randy Acevedo was recently honored by Challenge Day Founders, Rich and Yvonne St. John-Dutra, for his efforts to keep Monroe County schools safe. They chose him for the Challenge Day’s Hero-of-the-Month Award and invited him to attend a Next Step retreat. In her November 9th show, Oprah Winfrey proclaimed Challenge Day “is the way we change the world.” This is a secret Randy Acevedo knows and a program he continues to support as the Superintendent of Monroe County School District.

Sunny Booker, Director of Monroe Youth Challenge Program (MYCP) and the school district’s Safe School Coordinator expounds, “The past three superintendents have supported Challenge Days in our schools.

Photo Credit: MYCP
Challenge Day Founders Rich and Yvonne St. John-Dutra (center) stand with Wade Acevedo and his father, Monroe County School District Superintendent Randy Acevedo at a recent three-day Next Step workshop in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Superintendent was chosen by the St. John-Dutras as their “Hero of the Month” and invited as a guest to the workshop..

Randy Acevedo’s vision of the partnership that Monroe Youth Challenge Program could carry on a daily basis to support students has taken this program to a new level.” The Challenge Day organization was excited to have Acevedo attend their Next Step retreat in Kalamazoo, Michigan this past weekend because they respect his leadership in their quest to make schools a place where every child feels safe, loved and celebrated. On the list of priorities since his start as superintendent, Acevedo has “end bullying” as number one. Challenge Day is one strategy employed to meet that goal. His vision has caught the attention of other school districts around the state and nation.

Next Step, a three-day leadership workshop attended by older youth and community members, was arranged by the Kalamazoo Education Foundation. Acevedo attended as a guest of the Challenge Day Organization based in California. Jodee Robertson, Challenge Day Community Workshops Director and personal assistant to the founders said, “The work at Next Step is both personal and global. It’s a gift for a high-profile person like Randy to attend this program where he’s less known but equally respected. He was a valuable part of the team and all parties profited from the experience.”

According to Robertson, Acevedo was especially appreciated as a participant of the workshop when Kalamazoo school officials and community leaders brainstormed ideas of how to keep the program going after the one-day event of Challenge Day. “I could relate to their questions because it’s where Monroe County was more than six years ago. Our partnership with MYCP works and they were excited to hear about it,” said Acevedo.

Wade Acevedo, a senior at Key West High School, who attended the conference with his dad, was impacted. “Next step was a great program where we expanded on our experience from Challenge Day. It was really insightful,” he said.

MYCP receives calls from school district leaders around the state and nation who ask how to implement Challenge Day. Kim Williams, Safe and Drug Free Schools prevention coordinator from West Palm Beach wants Challenge Day to have long-term results. “We are interested in holding Challenge Day events in our county. We also want to create the system for the follow-up efforts like those provided by MYCP that makes the real difference,” said Williams.

Monroe Youth Challenge Program is a project of the Monroe County Education Foundation to foster acceptance, respect, and success in the youth of Monroe County. For more information about this project or any other MYCP-sponsored program call MYCP Director Sunny Booker at (305) 293-1400 ext. 53319 www.monroe.k12.fl.us/mycp.