Martinez Students 'Mix It Up' at Lunch

For the straight second year, A. Vito Martinez Middle School students extended themselves beyond their comfort zones to participate in “New Friends aren’t Frightening – Mix it Up” day Tuesday.

The event encourages students to cross social barriers in an effort to increase understanding and respect by having lunch with students they don’t know and talking about common issues they may have. The cafeteria at Martinez was transformed using music and Halloween-themed decorations inspired theme.

Students, who usually sit at the same table every day for lunch, received random seating assignments directing them to new lunch tables. Student leaders, who have helped to plan the event, were stationed at every table to engage their peers in conversations, games and activities. Table topics included confidence, responsibility, service, kindness, courage, justice, usefulness, thoughtfulness, generosity, caring, compassion, discipline, imagination and much more.

“Today is your opportunity to meet new people.” Principal Sarah DeDonato told students. “The point of today is to have fun and to talk with people who have different backgrounds.”

“It was a joy to observe the genuinely positive interactions among our students who had an opportunity to meet and learn about schoolmates they didn’t previously know,” added counselor Anita Hilton, who headed up the group that organized the event.

“Students were able to meet other peers from a variety of grade levels with different interests and backgrounds, all in fun and safe environment,” said DeDonato. “In the global society in which we live, students come in contact with a variety of cultures, opinions and backgrounds. By hosting Mix It Up Day, we hope to instill the importance of tolerance and respect for all as we build our community of lifelong learners at AVM.”

The Mix It Up at Lunch Day program began nationwide in 2002 to increase awareness about social boundaries and provide an opportunity for students to meet different kinds of people in a safe and structured environment. The Mix it Up at Lunch Day campaign now involves over 5,000 schools internationally.