By: Stephen Mercer
Zwire

Kids from the Grand Coulee Dam area and Nespelem will spend next week playing a game based on the television show "Survivor."

In the CBS version of Survivor, participants compete in activities and form alliances to vote off other participants. The last person receives $1 million.

The Grand Coulee Dam program called Survivor 21st Century will pit teams of high school students against each other to collect points.

The teams will be randomly selected and divided up by ages.

"It builds teamwork, self-confidence and new friendships," 21st Century Grant Coordinator Lauriann Mountjoy said.

By randomly selecting people, the participants could make friendships with people they might not have "hung out" with before, she said

The idea came from the program's community advisory committee, which Mountjoy said wanted a challenge week in the program.

The program runs from next Monday to next Saturday and participants must register by today at the school district office. It's open to Lake Roosevelt High School and Skilskin Alternative School students.

Participants will all be eligible to go to a dance and barbecue at the end of the contest. Those teams with the most points will win prizes.

The main difference between the CBS version and this Survivor is that no one can be voted off a team, Mountjoy said.

The participants will compete in challenges, such as rope courses, orienteering activities with compasses and maps and photo-based scavenger hunts to receive points, Mountjoy said.

She said the participants will go to Electric City, Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, Elmer City and Nespelem on separate days. The further each team travels for a challenge, the more points they receive.

When they complete a challenge, they get their picture taken, she said. There will also be numerous stations in each town to punch cards.

A team historian will record what the team does and present it to the judges, she said. That presentation can be in any form the team wants, such as website, skits or paper documentation.

The five-year 21st Century program is funded by a $290,000 grant. It mainly focuses on involving the community with schools and arranging activities for community members and students together.

ŠThe Star of Grand Coulee 2003