Mix it Up Day is an annual nationwide event sponsored by the Teaching Tolerance program of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
by the to help create inclusive school communities and will be held October 18.
AHS is a very diverse school as it is, with over 90 nationalities represented. However, students tend to stay with their own groups or cliques, something which is evident during lunch time. This will be the third annual ‘Mix it Up at Lunch’ day in recent years at the school.
“Mix it Up Day is a day to encourage us to look beyond our usual friends, and meet someone new; someone who doesn’t necessarily look like us. It’s easy to find someone different at Annandale,” Peer Mediation advisor Catherine Mounteer said.
The question remains whether or not this activity is beneficial or successful in integrating high school students.
“Is this a useful activity for high school students? I don’t know,” said Mounteer,” I have been considering canceling it for next year. While it’s fun for the students to get bracelets, I’m not sure they’re gaining much else from it. I wonder if we could be doing something different.”
Students in the past have participated, however the lunch periods are not a feasible time to try and educate students in diversifying their social crowds. Often times students are in a rush to get to the lunch lines without falling too behind and others are too hungry to pay attention to anything else.
“It’s pointless, no one really cares for it or participates in it,” said senior Diego Cornejo.
However, some students believe Mix It Up Day is sending out a good message and concept to new students.
“I think it’s a great idea, especially for freshmen, it gives them a chance to meet new people, but most people already have their own of friends so usually it’s not done the way it should be,” senior Ready Berehe said.
Measuring the success of this activity is difficult because there are no statistics or numbers to indicate the impact it has had on the AHS population. Nonetheless, student participation is recommended especially when trying to bridge gaps between different cultures and individuals. Because of the vast number of students at AHS there are still many who don’t feel connected to the school.
“I think ESOL students don’t always feel like full members of the school community. Look outside your usual group! The more relationships we build with one another, the stronger our community and the better our school,” said Mounteer.
During the event, the students come to the cafeteria and are asked to sit at a different table from their usual routine. If they meet a new person, they are asked to come up to sign the “friendship wall.” After they meet a new friend, the student is awarded by a friendship bracelet.
“Just the fact that we participate and add to the dots on their map is useful for showing solidarity with the cause of integration,” Mounteer said.