Every year, there are students who make great strides towards academic and personal success. This year, Shaler Area High School has started working with the Challenge Program to reward these students for their hard work. Mrs. Julie Yacoviello, the high school’s transition coordinator, was the first to reach out to the Challenge Program. She understands how hard some students work and she wants to help provide them with opportunities like this program.
“I am always hungry to find more opportunities for our students. With the Challenge Program, we met with them several times. We wanted to make sure that it was the right fit for our district and there were a lot of people involved in that. Mrs. Miller, one of our guidance counselors; Mrs. Townsend and our PBI’s team which is for positive behavior intervention and support in our building to make sure this is the right for us,” Mrs. Yacoviello said.
The Challenge Program is an organization that started just an hour and half away in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It was initially founded by Daniel T. Perkins.
Perkins is a graduate from the University of Pittsburgh’s Johnstown campus and Pepperdine University. Following his graduation from Pepperdine, Perkins enlisted in the United States Marine Corps., eventually becoming a commissioned officer.
After that, Perkins still wasn’t done. He ended up founding his own company, MTS Technologies Inc., in 1991. It is a technology consulting firm that specializes in information technology, training and engineering services. The firm is certified in Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) which means that at least 51% of the company must be owned by one or more disabled veterans and at least 51% of the business must be owned or operated by certain minority groups. MTS Technologies is a very prestigious and successful company.
Then in 2003, the Challenge Program was founded. It is a nonprofit organization that partners business with high schools in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. It has in 27 countries, worked with 85 businesses and has been in 150 schools across these states. The program is designed to motivate high school students and recognize the habits required for success in school and future careers. It encourages students to build strong academic habits and take pride in their accomplishments.
“They want to try to get in as many school districts as possible, but we are kind of the first ones in this area. They are new to Hampton and Pine Richland, but they aren’t in North Hills or any of the other nearby districts, so I’m really excited about this opportunity,” Mrs. Yacoviello said.
There are 5 academic habits that the Challenge Program is promoting students to have:
- Attendance- students demonstrating consistent daily attendance or attendance improvement compared to the first semester.
- STEM- students excel in science, technology, engineering and math courses.
- Community Service- students work to give back and contribute to the school or local community.
- Academic Improvement- students show meaningful academic progress and improvement over the course of the school year.
- Academic Excellence- students have achieved strong academic performance across subject areas.
Through the program, the local business that is paired up with the high school provides money so that students can be financially rewarded in all five of these areas. These can be awarded to five sophomores, five juniors and five seniors at each school. The prize is a $200 check. Students can be nominated through the staff at the high school, teachers, principals, cafeteria staff, or office workers.
The local business that Shaler Area has partnered up with is CDI Printing, a commercial printing company that provides classic design, brilliant print quality, personalized service and highly competitive pricing. They have worked with all sorts of businesses including, UMPC, GNC, Chase Bank and PNC Bank. 
“The awards come from the monetary donation that CDI Printing is providing. So, Shaler Area School District and taxpayers don’t have to. In exchange, they’ll bring in some workforce opportunities here in our building,” Mrs. Yacoviello said. “Cash awards are always an awesome motivator for students to work harder.”
There are more opportunities for students to win prizes like this.
The first is the Rising Star Award. This award recognizes a student who has faced significant challenges in their personal or academic life yet continued to push forward. It is open to any student in 10th, 11th or 12th grade at a Challenge Program participating school. Students must complete an online entry form through The Challenge Program website, which includes a personal statement and/or a short video. The entries will be reviewed by The Challenge Program staff and a small selection committee. Only 3 students across the state of Pennsylvania are selected and the prize ranges from what place each student gets, but it is at least $2000. The submission for this award is open until March 1st, 2026.
The second is the Commitment to Community Service Competition. This competition is open to any student in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade from a Challenge Program participating school. This award celebrates compassion, leadership and the power of giving back. The selection committee is looking for students who volunteer their time to help others, lead or organize projects that impact the community, and who find ways to make a lasting difference. Students must complete an online application for this particular award. It is statewide, but only one finalist will be selected and earn a $1000 cash prize.
The Challenge Program isn’t just about pairing up businesses with schools for cash prizes, it is about allowing students to have the possibility to gain workforce skills and experience.
Since it is only the first year working with the program, Shaler Area High School is still working out some of the kinks. Internships and other exposure opportunities are still in discussion, but Shaler Area High School is excited for what the future holds.
“We are all just understanding the program right now but we are extremely excited for the opportunity to build our students’ exposure to things,” said Mrs. Yacoviello.
A lot of people, when realizing that CDI Printing is our business partner, may not want to participate because thinking they will be sitting by a copier all day, but that is far from the truth. There are so many other jobs that go into companies like CDI Printing. They need graphic designers, sales representatives, customer service specialists, shipping people and so much more. CDI Printing is so willing to provide opportunities to the students of Shaler Area, so much so that they are even having a student section banner contest.
“It will take place in the spring. Any students can put their creative flow and input on it to create a banner that will be the size of the student section in GYM A. They’re going to print and donate it to the school whenever the final design wins. With that, you are looking at marketing, advertising, and design. It is really showing students that they have so many positions to offer,” Mrs. Yacoviello said.
The Challenge Program is a rewarding and exciting program, and is available for all SAHS students. Whether you are attending a college or university, going to a trade school, heading straight to the workforce or joining the military, the Challenge Program can be for you. Any and all students can benefit from this partnership that the Challenge Program has provided. Not only could students end up earning a cash prize, they can also enjoy all of the workforce experience that it offers.
