Mix-It-Up Day

Imagine the lunchroom: A sea of 300 boys and girls, harshly divided into categories and cliques. There’s an unspoken rule here. You sit where you’re supposed to sit, I don’t take your seat, and you don’t take mine. Everybody seems content in their tightly knitted friend groups, the jocks, the cheerleaders, the band kids. So why are we mixing it up?

Mix-It-Up day is an international campaign dedicated to ending bullying due to race, appearance, and socioeconomic status in the lunchroom by having students sit with somebody new. The campaign was started over a decade ago by Teaching Tolerance. “[Mix-It-Up Day] can help the cafeteria be a safer and more inclusive place.” said Monita Bell, the coordinator of Mix-It-Up Day at Teaching Tolerance. “We know from behavioral research that positive interactions can help reduce these types of prejudices.

On average, over 6,000 schools and 3 million students participated. This year, with the help of Dr. Hamidullah and multiple other THS staff members, Mix-It-Up Day will be coming to Talawanda high school. When asked about Mix-It-Up Day, Dr. Hamidullah said: “I became aware of national Mix-It-Up day and felt that it was a good opportunity to participate and make a cultural shift at THS to bring students together during lunch…we believe this activity will increase the positive interactions among the students, teachers, administrators and support staff at THS.”

Mix-It-Up day will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 23, and will be filled with fun games and prizes. All students will be asked to participate in order to make it  success.

What Is Mix It Up at Lunch Day? – YouTube

feature photo cred:  Camry W-N