Sage Creek High Principal Dr. Josh Way plans to paddle out at Mission Beach on Sept. 26 and try to catch 100 waves in a single day. The goal isn't personal. It's to raise $7,500 so a mentoring program that has cut student suspensions by 72% can stay on campus.

The school is fielding a team in the 17th Annual 100 Wave Challenge, a surf-a-thon benefiting Boys to Men Mentoring Network. The nonprofit pairs teenage boys with adult mentors who meet weekly at schools across San Diego County. Sage Creek began working with Boys to Men in 2025, according to the school's announcement.

The results at the 1,289-student Carlsbad Unified campus have been measurable. According to the school's fundraising page, suspension days among participants fell from 18 to five. Suspendable incidents dropped from 13 to three. The group's overall GPA rose from 1.71 to 2.02, with 42% of students improving their grades. Two students earned enough credits to graduate early, and 42% improved their attendance.

"These aren't just numbers," Way wrote in the team's fundraising appeal. "They represent young men making better choices, spending more time in the classroom and building a stronger path toward graduation and their future."

Sage Creek does not have the budget to keep funding the program on its own, Way wrote in the appeal. The $7,500 fundraising target would cover the cost of bringing Boys to Men back to campus.

Boys to Men Mentoring Network, founded in 1996, operates an in-school program that serves middle and high school boys identified as at risk of educational failure or juvenile delinquency. Mentors show up weekly. The nonprofit reported an annual operating budget of about $1.7 million as of 2024.

The 100 Wave Challenge, created by Boys to Men co-founder Joe Sigurdson in 2009, drew more than 100 surfers from across San Diego County at last year's event, according to Boys to Men. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that professional surfers Shaun Tomson and Damien Hobgood will return to the lineup for the Sept. 26 event at Mission Beach.

Registration and donation details are available at the Sage Creek team's fundraising page and at 100Wave.org.