Challenge Day is more than just a day for East Cobb Middle School students to step away from their studies and get to know one another better. 

It's a week-long event that began and Tuesday and concludes on Friday, with the purpose of helping students understand each other in deeply profound ways. 

More than 400 students and 100 teachers and staffers are involved in Challenge Day, an award-winning program that is designed to reduce instances of bullying, intimidation and violence. 

But as East Cobb Patch reported at last year's Challenge Day, the ultimate desire is for students to feel "a real connection" with one another at a school with more than half of its students rerpresenting minority groups, including a variety of native languages and ethnic origins. 

Seven hours of Challenge Day activities that span four days include games, activities and "trust-building exercises" that encourage students to be respectful of one another. 

Challenge Day once again is sponsored by the East Cobb Middle School Foundation, with additional support from Chick-fil-A at Eastlake, Kroger at Eastlake, Walmart and the Hilton Garden Inn at Wildwood, along with individual family donations.