SAN ANTONIO – Hundreds of students from James Madison High School on Wednesday underwent the U.S. Army High School Challenge, putting students' smarts, leadership skills and physical fitness to the test.
The purpose of the challenge is to show students, and even educators, the "skills needed to achieve life goals" and what it takes to be a successful soldier.
The program has been around since 2009, teaching individuals "how to conceptualize the real-world application of leadership, teamwork and mental agility."
Throughout the event, students participate in team building and individual exercises including a rope obstacle, agility ladder, physical fitness competitions and other courses.
"It was a little bit physically challenging in the beginning," said student Andrew Arce. "Lifting the board was pretty hard, but the main part of it was leadership, teamwork, trying to get everyone to work together, make sure they're focused on the task at hand, because if you mess up one thing, everything would've gone downhill."
The U.S. Army High School Challenge will be at Thomas Jefferson High School on Thursday.