RFH Students to 'Mix It Up at Lunch'

Students at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) will again be several in more than million schools to "mix it up" on lunch day.

Mix what up? In essence, in an effort to help break down unspoken social and racial barriers, they'll be intentionally mixing up their company at lunch as part of what has been dubbed the 12th annual Mix It Up on Lunch Day on Oct. 29

The national annual event was launched in 2002 by the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance project using the lunchtime and cafeteria spot as focal points, "because that is where they feel a school's social boundaries are most obvious," according to a release.

Through one day of dining with an unfamiliar group of people, the event's aim is to give students a better understanding and appreciation of differences and even forge new friendships.

"Mix It Up at Lunch Day is a great way to meet students who you’ve never met before and make new friends,” said Jeremy Susser, an RFH senior and member of the Peer Leaders student organization in the release.

This is how the event has been unfolding and will continue to at RFH:

Leading up to and in preparation of the Mix It Up day …

• On Sept. 26, student peer leaders presented information about support groups and Student Assistance Counselor programs to freshman students at RFH.

• During the state-designated Week of Respect, from Oct. 7 to 11, peer leaders will participate in mediation and conflict resolution training.

In addition, posters promoting respect will be displayed throughout the school, and students will be encouraged to identify and publicize acts of respect from teachers, coaches, advisors, fellow students, and family members.

On Mix It Up day …

Peer leaders will randomly distribute colored paper to all students as they enter the cafeteria. The students will then be requested to sit at the lunch table with the balloon that matches the color of the paper they were given.

"Mix It Up at Lunch' is a positive step that schools can take to help create learning environments where students see each other as individuals and not just as members of a separate group,” said Maureen Costello, director of the nationwide Teaching Tolerance organization. "When people step out of their cliques and get to know someone, they realize just how much they have in common.”

 
The RFH Peer Leaders, a student organization dedicated to being role models for their fellow students, organized this year's Mix It Up at Lunch Day event with support from student members of RFH Character Education Club and RFH Gay-Straight Alliance.  

The Southern Poverty Law Center established the Teaching Tolerance organization in 1991 to provide educators with free resources designed to reduce prejudice, improve intergroup relations and support equitable school experiences for the nation’s children.