What better way to celebrate International Peace Day than to kick some soccer balls around?

That's what a group of students at Wareham Middle School decided to do as part of a community service project centered around the campaign "One Day, One Goal."

The event had the middle school student body on soccer fields at the end of the day on Sept. 21 to spread a message of peace.

"I think it's one thing to say, 'Hey, let's acknowledge International Peace Day.' But to introduce some physicality into it is another thing," said Principal Dr. Peter Steedman.

Steedman, who was hired this summer, introduced "Viking Time" to the middle school. During Viking Time, small groups of students meet with one teacher for 30 minutes each week to discuss issues and ideas. Each group must come up with a service project to spearhead throughout the year.

For Peace Day, Kim Scott's eighth grade class organized the entire event – from sending letters to parents to making posters around the school.

Behind the middle school, several small fields were designated for soccer where students kicked around soccer balls.

"This activity was played all around the world," said eighth grade student Ashley Moran, a student in Scott's class who helped organize the event. "I think it was very fun, but it was very chaotic."

Peace Day has been adopted by every member of the United Nations and by the United States Congress. Since its launch in 2008, "One Day, One Goal" aims to strengthen peace-building efforts with soccer while raising awareness of Peace Day.

The day proved to be a culmination of "happy accidents," said Steedman.  In addition to soccer, middle schoolers listened to an anti-bullying talk held by the Scotty Monteiro Jr. Foundation and a robotics presentation by a surgeon from Southcoast Health.