One thing Dartmouth Middle School students learned this week: it's surprisingly difficult to pop a balloon with your feet.

During Family Fun Night, held Thursday night, students brought their families to school for a pizza party, words of encouragement and games.

“We have an initiative across our district that makes a great culture within the school. We celebrate success,” said Richard Blair of Dartmouth Middle School. “We thought it would be great to get the families involved.”

The two-hour event, which returned for its second year, began with dinner in the cafeteria before moving into the auditorium where a group of seniors from Dartmouth High School talked about their experiences in the public school system. The night ended with a gameshow, called “Minute to Win It,” in the gymnasium.

“Each year we try to find opportunities for parents to feel welcome and know that they’re part of the process,” said Dartmouth Middle School Principal Darren Doane.

He said the theme for the evening was a celebration of the school’s R.A.R.E. initiative, which stands for Respect, Accountability, Responsibility and Esteem. The theme was most evident when four high school seniors, all age 17, spoke in front of the crowd in the auditorium.

During his speech, Nate Morgado said it was his middle school teachers who set him up for future success.

“Without them, I don’t think I’d be where I am today,” said Morgado.

“It’s going to be kind of rough for some people in high school,” said Jaein Jung. “I think you should never give up. You can get bad grades or have a rough time, but you should always look for the best solution and never give up on your dreams and never lose sight of who you are.”

Bryce Boswell, who’s currently the senior class president at Dartmouth High, said his interest in school government began in middle school.

“I started as a class [representative] in the 6th grade. I think that’s what got me into being a part of school politics and being a leader in the school,” said Boswell.

Grace Gamache, the final speaker, emphasized what many of the other seniors said to the middle school students.

“When you go to high school, get involved, whether it’s on a team or in the clubs. Get involved in any way you can. You get to meet a lot of cool people,” she said.

After the speeches, the packed auditorium emptied into the gym, where families were called down two at a time to play games in front of the crowd.

Challenges involved balancing plastic eggs on spoons, bouncing tennis balls into buckets attached to a teammate and wrapping a team member in toilet paper as best they could within a time limit.

The final challenge had one team member attempt to pop a balloon with their bodies.

While the final game proved challenging for many, Ed Medeiros and his 11-year-old son, Pablo, popped all their balloons and were also the overall winners. The night concluded with a raffle, where 6th grader Kasey Rezendes won a bicycle.

Family Literacy Night, another evening for students and parents, is scheduled for Nov. 3