Schools

Quaker Valley Ready to 'Mix it Up' at Lunch

Mix it Up day encourages students to sit with someone new in the cafeteria for just one day.

On Tuesday, Quaker Valley's sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders will sit with classmates they otherwise might not join and get to know each other over lunch.

Students locally will join more than 2 million students nationwide looking to cross social and racial boundaries as part of the 10th annual Mix It Up at Lunch Day, an event designed to foster respect and understanding in schools.

Christy Clapper, sixth-grade counselor, said the event encourages students to sit with someone new in the cafeteria for just one day.

Find out what's happening in Sewickleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We teach young people it’s OK to step out of your social boundaries for a day…for just that one short period of time in the hopes that they would meet someone new, find that they are capable of stepping outside their comfort zone and really start a conversation with someone they wouldn’t really talk to,” said Clapper, who is spearheading this year’s effort with sixth-graders at .

Clapper said she is proud of the many students who have stepped up to take part Tuesday. Students in seventh and eighth grades at Anthony Wayne School are also taking part in the effort.

Find out what's happening in Sewickleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Clapper said the hope is that the children will learn to appreciate each other in a different way, regardless of race, culture, religion or family background.

Participating students will pick a random Life Savers candy before entering the lunch room and will sit at the table that matches one of the five colors of candy. For the next hour, 19 tables of eight students will be challenged to strike up a conversation and come up with a list of five things they all have in common.

“Several things are happening. They are forced to talk to each other, know everybody’s name, write it on a list, and they all have to sign their names on it, and we will post those so everybody remembers that they did this.”

All of the students will be entered into a drawing with more than 50 educational prizes, such as a gift card to the .

“The point of this is you can do this and be successful,” Clapper said. “So the next time someone comes into our building, it’s OK to invite them to your table and sit with them at lunch.”

The lesson also aims to cut down on bullying issues as it cuts down stereotypical ideals. Quaker Valley has a districtwide anti-bullying initiative.

Clapper said data will be collected that will be used to kick off Quaker Valley’s anti-bullying instruction to keep kids thinking and working toward making their school environment safe for everyone.

has participated in the Mix-it-Up day for several years. Most of the students accept the idea and look forward to meeting someone new. Clapper said there is only one table of girls who are refusing to step outside their group.

Other kids have gotten involved on a student committee by helping to hang signs and talking about it among their peers.

“I’m excited about it. I think a lot of kids are excited about it,” Clapper said. “They’re pretty willing to take the risk now.”

More than 5,000 schools are expected to participate in the event, which is sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance project.

The Alabama-based law center launched Teaching Tolerance in 1991 to provide educators with free resources designed to reduce prejudice and promote respect for differences among our nation’s children.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Sewickley