JACKSON TWP - The transition from middle to high school is often a tough one for adolescents and can be fraught with life-changing decisions.

Because of that, the Seneca Valley School District three years ago began offering Pajama Rama, a seventh grade program aimed at preventing girls from making destructive choices as they approach young adulthood.

Pajama Rama, which was May 6 at Seneca Valley Middle School, had the girls who chose to participate arrive at the school in their pajamas at 6 p.m. for two hours of fun blended with education.

Principal Tracy Vitale, who oversees the event each year, said about 75 of the approximately 300 seventh grade girls were to attend.

The girls could choose three of six workshops offered: healthy eating, flip-flop making, jewelry making, self-defense, basketball and volleyball, or an interactive dancing game.

Vitale said some high school girls attend to serve as role models or presenters in some workshops.

"It's about a night of healthy choices," she said.

Vitale said she also talks to the girls about issues like peer pressure and female aggression. She said the program targets new middle school girls because statistics show youths are most likely to experiment with drugs or alcohol during the summer between eighth and ninth grade.

"At Pajama Rama we get them to start thinking about it now to prepare them for the things they may be facing in the near future," said Vitale.

She said parents are eager to help out with Pajama Rama and female teachers are willing to donate their time."The adult volunteers want to be good role models to the kids," said Vitale, who added the entire program is funded through a grant.This year's parent coordinator was Dawn Abbate, whose daughter Meghan is a seventh grader at the middle school. Abbate said another important facet of Pajama Rama is the forming of new friendships that could carry on through high school."Someone might be doing a craft in a workshop and say 'Hey, you're in my math class,'" said Abbate. "Maybe those girls could become friends even though they don't necessarily run around in the same circle."She said the girls also see the parents and teachers as adults they could talk with if they have a problem.Abbate said the teachers promoted the event in school, and she praised them for their participation in Pajama Rama:"It's a good sign that Seneca Valley teachers do care and are available."She said the workshop creating the biggest buzz this year was Dance, Dance, Revolution. It's a popular interactive video game in which the viewers attempt to copy the dance moves on a big screen."It's a structured evening, but a little more fun than their school day," she said.Alex Todd is a Seneca Valley Middle School eighth grader who attended Pajama Rama last year."It was very fun and I learned a lot," said Alex.She said she and her friends had the most fun in a yoga workshop, and the most educational workshop for her was one presented by the Victim Outreach Intervention Center, a domestic abuse support center in Butler, entitled "Walk in My Shoes."Alex said the presentation gave real-life circumstances and problems as well as how teens can safely handle them. That program has since been added to the physical education curriculum at the middle school.She said she recommends Pajama Rama to her younger classmates."You're learning different things while still having fun with your friends," she said.Vitale said Alex is right: "It shows the girls they can have a good time on Friday night without alcohol, drugs or smoking."The program has been expanded to seventh grade boys, who are offered a similar format entitled Main Event.The boys have male-oriented workshops while learning about peer pressure, male aggression and other important preteen lessons.That program took place on April 8.