Maggie Preller said she is no longer nervous about attending Bethlehem Middle School in the fall after meeting more of her future classmates.
On Friday, June 2, every fifth grade class within the district participated in Survivor Day, held at Elm Avenue Park. In its third year and put on by the district’s Health and Physical Education Department, the event is meant to ease the minds of students as they leave the comfort of their individual schools and officially become one as the class of 2019.
“I think it’s really helpful, so you can know some of the other people you’re going to be with in the middle school before you get there,” said Maggie, who attends Hamagrael Elementary School.
According to Frederick Powers, supervisor of the Health and Physical Education Department, for nearly 20 years the event was known as Friendship Day. Eventually the event was discontinued because of the large number of other transition activities being done by the schools. However, some parents and teachers felt the day needed to return to help students get better acquainted with one another. The event was reintroduced and redesigned as Survivor Day.
All of the students are split into 20 “tribes” made up of a mixture of 20 students from the various elementary schools. They participate in a serious of academic challenges and physical activities, and by working together, earn points along the way. The day is modeled after the reality game show on television called “Survivor,” and school officials said the students love the competition and challenges.
“This is really important for the kids because it is the time all 400 students have been thrust into one environment and actually put into groups similar to the classes they will be put into at the middle school,” said Hamagrael physical education teacher Chris Berschwinger.
Most of the activities needed to be completed through teamwork. There was a relay obstacle course, group academic questions about math, social studies and geography, and trolley races, where students stepped in unison to cross the finish line on wooden planks.
As a crafts project focusing on American culture, students also learned how to tie-dye their own shirts. Berschwinger said the shirts were meant to be a keepsake from the day and a reminder of a time when they were unified as a class, perhaps to prevent future squabbles or bullying.
“It’s something that the kids look forward to,” he said. “I know my fourth-graders look at it as a big day.”
Students also had time to meet with some of their future teachers, the middle school principal, and Superintendent Tom Douglas dropped by in the morning to introduce himself.
“It’s a good way for these kids who feel skittish about going into the middle school to really just get a foot in the door and maybe have a bit better idea for what’s about to happen,” said Berschwinger. “I’ve been working here for 12 years, and there are a lot of fifth-graders who are scared about going to the middle school because it’s seen as such a big thing, so if this helps them we’ve done our job”
Brian Murray, a student from Slingerlands Elementary, said he liked that Survivor Day introduced his to some new people who he could see being friends with in the future. However, he said he’s not nervous because his older brother is already in the middle school.
“The only thing I think I would be worried about is finding my classes,” he said. “Besides that, I’m fine. No one here’s been mean or anything. I’m not really a negative person. I try to be optimistic because I don’t think it helps to be negative.”
