Students gathered in the large auditorium on July 21 for the “Cut It!” Student Assembly.

Hosted by the Y2Y Partners for Peace, the event marked the launch of a new challenge involving a spin-off of the popular hip hop song, “Cut It.” The goal of the challenge is to eliminate verbal and physical altercations on Center.

“Conflicts are inevitable,” said Wendell Martin, the CTR Instructor and a member of the Y2Y Team. “However, conflicts don’t have to escalate to verbal or physical altercations.”

The Y2Y Team encourages students to “Cut It” before conflicts escalate. 

If the students can go 21 days without a verbal or physical altercation, the Y2Y Team will host a large outdoor party, complete with food, games and music.

Culinary Arts Student Markeyta Bowen introduced a “peace painting” she created. “The colors of the painting were influenced by West African culture and are peaceful to me,” Markeyta said.

The assembly ended with the explanation of the “Cut It!” Challenge, a chance to remake the song with a focus on life at the Joliet Job Corps Center