Social studies teachers Pam Ogilvy and Greg Deegan have found a new way to welcome students back into their classrooms this year.

“Mr. Deegan and I decided to do some team building for our students,” social studies teacher Pam Ogilvy said.  “We had them participate in different activities and one of them was going outside, where they took part in a relay race.”

Many BHS students have enjoyed Ogilvy’s introductory activities of trying to see the cow and finding out who owns the fish. These are activities designed to encourage students to work together and think creatively. This year she and Deegan decided to take a different approach and took their classes outside.

During the first four days of school, AP Microeconomics students and AP Government students were outside hopping in the grass as other students looked out their classroom windows and wondered what was going on.

“We had five blue cups full of water on one end and five red cups on the other end,” Ogilvy said. “Each team had to exchange their blue cups for red cups on a tray, but could only use one hand and one foot the whole time.”

The objective of these activities was for students to get to know one another and feel comfortable with their peers in the classroom. Ogilvy believes she has already started to see the effects of the activities in her classroom.

“The classes all really know each other pretty well now,” she said.  “It’s helped me get to know [the students], which is really important as well, and I think it’s just fun and a good way to ease into school.”

Students have also started to see the impacts of the activities in the classroom.

“It allowed us to get to know our classmates,” junior Arin Mintz said.  “It also showed us how to work better as a team, knowing that many people bring many different strengths and different challenges.”