The students competed in "Olympic" races, showed off their giant dolphin mural made entirely with Rubik's Cubes, and displayed dozens of seaworthy projects at Wareham Public Schools' annual CARE Fair on Thursday.

The fair, held at Wareham Middle School, was a culmination of the six-week CARE (Community, Academic, Recreation and Enrichment) program, which aims to help elementary and middle school students sharpen their classroom skills throughout the summer.

Many of the activities were sea-themed. Students worked with the Coalition for Buzzards Bay and National Marine Life Center over the course of the six weeks.

At the fair, FitMath, in which students combine math skills with physical fitness, had students competing in their own Olympics.

With a little bit of imagination — students were sitting on skateboards and other wheeled modes of transportation — students competed in kayaking, rowing, and swimming races, which all required them to use their muscles in different ways to propel themselves toward the finish line. A discus throw and long jump also had students excited for the Olympic action. Gold, silver, and bronze awards were recorded on big poster boards during the games.

Students also sold the various projects they had created throughout the summer — including DVD and CD holders by the woodshop students, and painted shells by the "Beach in the Classroom" students. All money raised will be donated to the National Marine Life Center.

Meanwhile, student work was on display — both outdoors and indoors!

A group of middle school students built a new walkway through the grassy island that separates the parking lot in front of the school from Viking Drive. The area was trampled from foot traffic.

The students took an hour-long class at Lowe's where they learned to lay bricks. Donated bricks with donor's names etched in them, which were purchased nearly a decade ago before the middle school underwent renovations, were moved from the school's courtyard — where they could not be easily viewed — to the new pathway, said teacher Jessica Frazier.

Students Tyler DeMello and Arianah Robinson came up with a design for the walkway, and each of the dozen middle school students had a hand in making the project come to fruition, said teacher assistant Jeff Taber.

"We had fun with it, Taber said, adding that the students also trimmed bushes and cleaned up the island overall.

Inside, projects from the various CARE classrooms filled the hallways, including a mammoth mural of dolphins — made by students who spent the summer mastering the mechanics of the Rubik's Cube. The mural took a whopping 600 cubes.

Woodshop students had a special CARE Fair surprise for Wareham Middle School Principal Howard Gilmore. They created an American flag out of an old fence and, in a big white star, wrote "WMS" for Wareham Middle School.

"This will hang prominently in the middle school," said Gilmore, and asked where he should hang it.

The students collectively pointed to a blank wall above a display case in the lobby of the school. Gilmore was satisfied with the choice.

"They all had a hand in [the project] — if they sanded it, if they painted it...," teacher Toni Thatcher said.

The class, which consisted of 9- to 14-year-olds, has been a staple in the CARE program for nearly a decade.

"I have 10-year-olds using power tools," teacher assistant Pat Fernandes said with a smile, noting that nobody got hurt.

Thatcher laughed, and pointed out: "Nine years, no accidents!"

Check out the photo galleries to see the students' projects!