Middle schoolers challenge social boundaries—“Mix It Up” at lunch

Nov. 16, 2009—Duanesburg Middle School students got out of their comfort zones and challenged social boundaries during “Mix it Up at Lunch Day” on Nov. 10.

Thousands of students across the country participated in the event, which encourages students to celebrate diversity and tolerance by eating lunch at a table where they don’t usually sit.

According to eighth-grader Elijah Casper, students sit at the same cafeteria table with the same group of people everyday. To that end, he encouraged his peers to get out of their routine and give it a shot.

“It’s nice to do something different every once in awhile, and you might meet someone you actually enjoy talking to,” he said.

Casper is part of the Friends of Rachel’s Challenge Club, which helped facilitate the event. Students were assigned to cafeteria tables alphabetically using the initials in their first name.

To help fuel conversation, each table was asked to develop an “upword,” which is essentially a plan, idea or slogan describing how to make a difference in the school, community or world.

Some ideas included being nice, never giving up and helping the needy.

At the end of the lunch period, students went outside and watched as their intentions were released into the sky in the form of a balloon.