The day began with the first of the keynote speakers, Yvette Rugasaguhunga. Born in Rwanda in 1980, Ms. Rugasaguhunga spoke to a rapt audience of students about her experiences at the brutal hands of the Rwanda Patriotic Front, the group responsible for the genocide that took place in her homeland. The second keynote speaker, Craig Kielburger, a children's rights advocate and founder of the organization Free the Children, spurred students to become active citizens by reaching out to support and help others.

Adrian Shanker, the student coordinator for Wellness Day and senior at Fox Lane said, "The theme of the day is to get active, be aware, take action, and be an advocate. The keynote speakers reflected these themes."

Adrian further explained that "each student gets to see both keynote speakers and attend three workshops that they preselected from an online menu."

Of the more than 50 workshops offered throughout the day, I had the chance to sit in on a few. Tom Diebold, Bedford's youth officer, offered a Teens and the Law workshop. Tom described it like this, "I gave students an overall awareness of how the law affects them - to make them think before they do what they do."

The Reverend Paul Alcorn, of Bedford Presbyterian Church, led a discussion focusing on a key question, "How Large Is Your World?" "I am hoping to get kids to realize that the world is bigger than their own neighborhood," he said.

Similarly, Alexandra Tinti, a senior at Fox Lane, hosted a workshop on community service. She brought with her representatives from the local Lions Club, Northern Westchester Hospital, and Children's Hospital. Ms. Tinti extolled the virtues of community service and gave her guests time to describe their programs and the opportunities open to students. "I feel good about the workshop. It was great getting student input. Many students are doing good community work."

When I caught up with assistant principal Robin Schamberg, the faculty coordinator for the event, she spoke at length about the day "Our kids are craving heroes and role models. Our two keynote speakers were picked carefully for that reason. They are young people - 22 and 24 - one a victim of genocide who preaches love, the other a child advocate who resolved to help others. We are sending a message of empowerment to students."

As the school day ended, it was clear to all participants that the "curriculum" for the day was not the usual fare. Sean Dietrich, responsible for all student scheduling, put it like this, "It's a normal day of school, but it is in a different form. Students and staff brought in people who kids would find interesting."

When the last workshop was done and the final words spoken, Fox Lane students and staff could rest easy that they had experienced a very special school event.