5th-graders take first place
HARDYSTON. The first middle school competition was a grade-vs.-grade event aimed at improving school culture and spirit and tackling the issue of chronic absenteeism that has plagued the state since the coronavirus pandemic.
| 14 May 2024 | 10:11
In addition to taking part in the recent competition, Hardyston Middle School students have done projects such as creating and sending cards for Valentine’s Day. (Photos courtesy of Hardyston Middle School)
Hardyston students take part in TREP$, a comprehensive project-based entrepreneurship curriculum designed for middle school students. The TREP$ Marketplace was the culmination of weeks of preparation. Students sold products that they designed, created and marketed.
The results are in.
First place in the first Hardyston Middle School Competition - a grade-vs.-grade event aimed at improving school culture and spirit and tackling the issue of chronic absenteeism that has plagued the state since the coronavirus pandemic - goes to students in fifth grade.
The competition, which began Jan. 29 and was extended until May 3, kicked off with a student committee-coordinated pep rally to introduce its goals and actively involve students and staff members.
The brainchild of Principal Meg O’Mara, the contest consisted of a litany of challenges, such as:
• Attendance: Updated weekly, the grade level with highest attendance percentage received a point.
• Academic achievement: Math minutes, vocabulary and trivia quizzes. The grade level with the highest percentage got a point.
• Community involvement: This included spirit days, a hygiene fundraiser for the Weekend Bag program, penny races for the Hardyston Police Department (Police Unity Tour and Torch Run), student participation in the Torch Run, staff-vs.-students basketball game, and Hardyston police-vs.-students volleyball game.
• Behavior: Grade levels lost points based on poor behavior, while a student “caught being good” by one of the retired police security officers resulted in that student being given a token to be redeemed for a free snack from the cafeteria. Staff also gave tokens to students “caught being good” for extra points. A big surprise event will take place for the grade level with the highest score.
“It was a 12-week competition, but the last two weeks, we gave students an a opportunity to earn additional Bee Bucks, which are positive reward tickets that students earn when teachers or staff members catch students being great,” O’Mara said. “We extended that part of the competition because the kids were buying into it so much. They were really excited about it.”
To the winner goes the spoils, so the fifth-graders attended a Sussex County Miners game earlier this week and took home gift bags of honey and oatmeal, courtesy of Maschio’s Food Service.
The keys to the fifth-grade win were the students’ performance in the categories of Community and Attendance. They also earned the most Bee Bucks, though the sixth grade was right on their tail in that category.
“The sixth and eighth grades tied for second place, and seventh grade came in close behind in third,” O’Mara said. “The seventh grade also earned additional points for exhibiting the best behavior throughout the course of the competition.
“The winner was announced by our eighth-grade team captains, who demonstrated exceptional leadership and teamwork during the entire competition. In addition to the grand prize of attending the Sussex County Miners game, the other grades earned periods off from the regular routine to participate in both outdoor and indoor activities based upon student interests.”