Seven Wareham Middle School students were honored for doing the right thing, standing up for a fellow student who was being picked on, and hope to encourage other students to do the same.

Kailie Sylvia, Brayden Hathon, Emily Abbott, Abigail Gifford, Preshis Gomes, Allie Brown and Cole Goldie, all in sixth grade, had a pizza party on Thursday and were celebrated by Principal Dr. Peter Steedman, School Resource Officer Karl Baptiste and Wareham Police Chief Kevin Walsh.

The students saw another student being "a little mean" to one of their friends in school, Steedman said, and stepped in to help, telling Baptiste about the incident so he could step in. The students said their friend was called names and had pencils thrown at them.

Steedman said the incident didn't escalate into bullying because of the students' action.

"We took the act to tell Officer Baptiste," said Goldie. "Everybody should have a chance to make it through school."

Goldie said the experience made him want to speak up for students again in the future.

"It's a school, we're all here to learn," Brown said. "People getting bullied should have confidence to say, 'That's enough.'"

"I thought it was pretty big of you guys," Baptiste told the students during their pizza party, when they were presented with T-shirts and certificates. "We need more students like you who do the right thing."

Walsh told the seven students they are helping the school achieve its goal of being safe for everyone.

"You might think it's a little thing, but it's a huge thing," Walsh said. "You should be proud of your actions."