MISD School Mixes It Up to Cross Social Boundaries

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Lunchtime can be a scary moment for students. As they walk into the cafeteria, they have many quick decisions to make. Where do I sit? With whom? Will they like me? Will I fit in?

To help ease the possible anxiety and create a campus atmosphere of togetherness, staff at Danny Jones Middle School decided to break up the usual groups and change things up a bit.

It was part of Mix It Up at Lunch Day, an international campaign that encourages students to identify, question and cross social boundaries. Jones Middle School students walked into the cafeteria on Wednesday and had to sit at table with kids who shared the first letter of their first name.

“They mix up your seat organization so that you sit with people that you don’t normally sit with and make new friends and enjoy your time with other people that you don’t normally spend time with,” said eighth-grader Aaron Newman.

Tonya Willis, the school counselor, said she brought the idea to Jones Middle School because she wanted to spread kindness and connectivity.

New friends captured the moment at a decorated area on the stage.

“We try to talk about this because most times when you read about things that happened in school, the person who committed a crime when asked says, ‘I went to school and no one ever said hi to me. No one spoke to me in the school day,’” Willis explained. “We like to have Mix It Up Day so that all kids get to meet someone else, and they feel they’re a part of something.”

During the mixed up seating arrangement, games are played to help the students feel more comfortable to talk with one another. When students made a new friend, they had the chance to take a picture together at the Mix It Up photo area.

Plenty of students went outside of their usual social bubble on Mix It Up Day. Willis said the effects of the connections will last well beyond lunchtime.

“These kids are going to see the people they met all throughout the school year and built deeper relationships,” she added. “Some even exchanged information so that they can talk even outside of the school day.”

The counselor explained that the day was successful because she saw plenty of smiles and students were able to meet new people.

Teaching Tolerance launched the Mix It Up program in 2001 to promote inclusion. Schools can organize a Mix It Up at Lunch Day any time during the school year. Registration is free, and schools that register are eligible for special contests and giveaways.

This is the second year Danny Jones Middle School has held a Mix It Up at Lunch Day.

Elementary School Focuses on Teaching the Heart and Mind

Sara Buchan and two of her students who have earned blue butterflies.

Although Friday is the last day of National Random Act of Kindness Week, Martha Reid Elementary School spreads the kindness year-round.

Students and staff have all taken part of the Kindness Challenge. It’s an initiative started by first grade teacher Sara Buchan who wanted to teach children how to pay it forward.

“I can make them brilliant in math, but if they do not have social and emotional intelligence, I have failed them,” said Buchan.

The eight-year Mansfield ISD teacher started incorporating what she coined as a kindness mat. The mat is a non-reward-based sheet of paper with different nice gestures students can do. She later contacted the founder of Secret Blue Butterfly and received blue butterflies for teachers to hand out to students who go above and beyond.

The blue butterflies hang to remind students and staff
to spread kindness.

An entire hallway is adorned with blue butterflies hanging from the ceiling as a reminder to children to pollinate the world with kindness and love.

“None of this could have happened without the support I received from the principal and teachers,” said Buchan. “We have a segment on the morning announcements about the Kindness Challenge, and everyone has really bought into the whole idea of promoting joy.”

The saying is true: a little bit of kindness goes a long way. Reid Elementary staff hopes the kids use the lessons learned to continue having a heart of compassion as they grow older.