The day before Thanksgiving break began, middle school students celebrated Dartmouth Strong Day. Initially devised as a day to celebrate the school’s R.A.R.E. program and to combat bullying, this year’s celebration featured games and presentations on bus safety.

The R.A.R.E. program, which stands for Respect, Accountability, Responsibility and Esteem, has been a guiding force at the middle school even before the district adopted the similar PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) model. Both school-wide philosophies encourage a positive environment for students.

Assistant Principal Carl Robidoux said the school will often hold events on half-days before a vacation to keep kids engaged.

On Dartmouth Strong Day, Richard Blair of the middle school’s Step Up program was busy in the auditorium acting as the emcee of a gameshow. Students were divided into small groups and had to answer questions related to the school. Their classmates cheered them on from the bleachers.

In the auditorium, students learned about bus safety – some of which was presented through song.

This instruction was later brought into the students’ homerooms. Eighth graders visited the lower grades to present information on how to stay safe on the bus. This included tips for the modern bus traveler, such as what to do if a student snaps an unwanted photo of classmate with his or her cellphone.

The students also completed an “I am” statement as part of Dartmouth Strong Day. Students will be tasked with completing the sentence “I am ____.” on a rectangular piece of construction paper. The statements will later be displayed together.

“We create an ‘I am’ wall where we put all the bricks together,” said David Desjardins, a teaching assistant with the Step Up program. “We put that together last year, and we’re doing the same thing this year.”

Desjardins said that, in the past, student responses have ranged from small affirmations (“I am cheerful”) to the zany (“I am Batman”).