NEWBURY — Students at Newbury Elementary School are going to step out of their comfort zones on Tuesday, Oct. 18, as they join more than two million others across the country in participating in the 10th annual Mix It Up at Lunch Day, an event designed to foster respect and understanding at schools.
Mix It Up at Lunch Day, a national campaign introduced a decade ago by Teaching Tolerance, encourages students to sit with someone new at lunch to identify, question and cross social boundaries. It also fosters school spirit and unity and helps students meet different kinds of people.
"Helping students create connections with each other creates a supportive environment that ties into the responsive classroom and anti-bullying work that we are focused on as a school community," Assistant Principal Heather Leonard said. "We are helping students build a lifelong skill of being able to get to know someone and build relationships."
Triton Superintendent Christopher Farmer describes the responsive classroom as a research-based program that fosters the social, emotional and academic development of children. "It encourages children to be respectful of one another and helps build an appreciation of diversity and differences among us," he said. "In the elementary schools, it is our primary approach to bullying prevention. A classroom climate built on respectful relationships results in greater engagement in learning and student success."
Leonard said that on Mix It Up at Lunch Day, students will be assisted in making randomized switches to sit with someone new, and that tabletop placards with prompt questions will help them engage in conversations and dialogue.
"On Oct. 18, we will be asking students to take a risk to sit with someone they don't know and apply the skills they have learned, such as being respectful, tolerant and accepting," Principal Michael Tracy said. "We are hoping to build bridges and connections to become a stronger community."
Tracy explained that the responsive classroom goal of developing a culture of respect and community is the backbone of learning at the school, and it all begins with a very routine morning meeting in every classroom each day.
"We want students to practice these responsive classroom skills and learn from their mistakes because we believe practice builds proficiency," Tracy said. "We seek to foster a growth mind-set in our students so that they feel that smart is something they can learn, not something you are. We want students to know that they can always get better, but that no one is perfect."
For Mix It Up at Lunch Day, teachers will prepare the students by introducing the hopes and outcomes for the day and encouraging them to build new relationships with their fellow students with whom they may be in school for 10 years or more. "The goal is that maybe on the day after the event, students might continue to sit with someone new or ask them to play at recess," Leonard said.
"This is another opportunity for children to learn and create a joyous and welcoming culture at Newbury Elementary, and ultimately prepare to become adults who have respect for human differences."
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