Seneca Valley Ready to 'Mix it Up' at Lunch

Students at will attempt to get to know each other better over lunch today.

Along with more than 2 million others, the seventh and eighth-grade students will participate in the 10th annual Mix It Up at Lunch Day, a nationwide event designed to foster respect and understanding in schools.

Andrea Peck, assistant principal, said this is the second year the school has participated in the event, which encourages students to cross social and racial boundaries.

“When they come into lunch, they won’t sit where they normally sit, and they'll engage in conversations,” she said.

The students will be prepared for the mix-it up lunch in their earlier classes, she said. After drawing random numbers out of a box, the students will be assigned to one of 30 tables for the lunch period. Each table will be stocked with discussion questions the students can ask each other in the hopes of getting the conversation going.

“It could be a simple as what’s your favorite color or where did you travel over the summer?” Peck said of the questions.

Mix It Up Day is part of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Programalready in place at the district. Implemented by teachers, staff and administrators, the Olweus program is designed to prevent or reduce bullying.

The middle school has about 1,200 students who are divided up into 10 different academic teams. In seventh-grade, the five teams are named after cats. The five eight-grade teams are named after birds. In a school district as large as Seneca Valley, it’s possible a bobcat will never interact with an eagle.

“They might see a new kid every day,” Peck said.

She said a majority of the students were pleased with the program last year.

“There weren’t too many hiccups. Some kids said it was really neat. Others said it was the worst day ever," she said. "The important thing with this is just accepting others.”

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

The 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.