Do not be a bystander, be an upstander.
That was the message that Dr. Tali Axelrod, the Principal at the Hillside Intermediate School, shared when she and her staff led assemblies for the students on Wednesday, September 9.
The 4th Grade students attended the morning's first assembly, and the 5th Graders followed with their session, both held in Hillside's multi-purpose room.
Dr. Axelrod greeted the new students, reviewed the school and its policies, and urged them to participate and learn, while, most importantly, be an “upstander and not a bystander.”
This school year marks the first in which 4th Grade and 5th Grade students are being educated at an intermediate school in the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District.
Due to the first-ever all-day kindergarten program in the school district, the students from Pre-K through 3rd grade attend the seven primary schools, while 4th and 5th Graders attend the two intermediate schools.
The 6th Graders, who previously attended the intermediate schools, now join the 7th and 8th Grade students at the middle school. The high school continues to educate from Grades 9 through 12.