Game On.

MacArthur Middle School used actual games – sidewalk chalk, boards and cards, kickball – to stress the school’s theme this year while emphasizing the importance of trying and teamwork.

Principal Lisa Cullison said the theme this school year is Game On or Level Up, a theme designed to help students remember to work hard and to work as teams.

“Remember to make this the best year of school,” she said, as she helped her staff coordinate work stations for the first Game On Day of the 2026-2027 school year.

On this particular Friday, that meant two outdoor activities and one indoor play station.

Some students grabbed a free snow cone before they headed over to the driveway on the south side of the school. That expanse of concrete had been turned into a canvas and play area for the eighth graders who took it over during an early-morning art session.

Variety was the name of the game, and sticks of chalk allowed students to create everything from small works of art to hopscotch boards. Some students sat near their work admiring what they had done, but there also were four separate games of hopscotch going on, as boys and girls revisited a rite of childhood to play on the numbered squares.

In another area, Breanna Swietek and Hannah Pewewardy joined forces to create a flower outlined in shades of pink. Breanna started the work; Hannah joined in after deciding more color was needed.

“I was doing my own thing,” Hannah said, explaining she looked over and saw what her classmate had working and wanted to get involved.

Breanna said she appreciated the help.

“Bright,” she said, of the colors Hannah added that helped make the flower pop.

Both signed their work, smiling proudly over their effort.

In the meantime, other students moved inside to the school’s common area to play board games. While there were a variety – Sorry, Chutes and Ladders, checkers – the most popular game by far was Uno. There were multiple groups working around various tables, slapping down cards and arguing.

But, a group of young men was playing Sorry at another table. Why?

“No more Uno,” one said in a disgruntled tone.

Adult organizers took student tastes into account. Cullison said there will be game days through the school year, and one of her staff members was polling students to determine what games they wanted to see next time. Students had their list: Guess Who and Chameleon were noted, as were chess boards and more checker boards.

For the more adventurous, the field on the north side of the school played host to kickball. But, temperatures already were rising and there were just as many students volunteering to be the crowd as were on the field. One young man was an attentive observer, trying to talk himself into playing.

“I might play,” he said, adding he was comfortable on the sidelines. “Too hot.”